Chinese Communist Party formally starts process of selecting delegates for national congress
- The 20th National Congress will be the main political event of the year and will see a major shake-up of the top leadership team
- A directive says candidates must be ‘truly outstanding’ and adds the most important requirement is loyalty to Xi Jinping
The party’s organisation department has convened a top level meeting to announce detailed arrangements for the elections that will run until June, according to state news agency Xinhua.
It said about 2,300 delegates will be chosen from 38 electoral units across the country, which means that the total number of delegates will be roughly the same as in the previous congress but with two fewer electoral units this time.
“The candidates’ commitment to party’s ideals and their convictions should be considered first and foremost, as well as their political quality and morality. They should … firmly uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping’s core position in both the party’s Central Committee and the party as a whole, and respect the party central’s authority and its centralised and unified leadership,” it said.
It also warned that there would be zero tolerance for breaches of the election rules, citing previous cases in Hunan and Sichuan provinces, and adding: “Those who fail politically shall be struck out at once. [We should also] carry out strict screening and verification of the integrity of candidates, and resolutely prevent corrupt elements from entering the nomination process.”