Guangdong's branch of the Communist Party elected Zhang Dejiang to a second term as provincial party secretary yesterday, but analysts said his election did not preclude a later transfer to another position.
Announcing the election results, Mr Zhang said: 'I will not say anything more about myself since I have just been introduced [by the master of ceremonies].'
Instead, he shifted the focus to newly re-elected vice-secretaries Huang Huahua and Liu Yupu .
Mr Huang has one more year to run in his five-year term as governor. If he were to stand down, the party by tradition would require his successor be a cadre of vice-secretary rank, which puts the focus on Mr Liu.
Mr Liu, 58, is a Shandong native and worked with President Hu Jintao in the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League from 1982 to 1985.
He was transferred to Guangdong in 2000, as head of the party committee's organisation department from a similar position in Shaanxi , and was elected vice-party secretary in 2004.
Analysts expect Mr Zhang to move to Beijing to take up a central government job before or after the party's 17th national congress in October.