China To Change Constitution, Allowing Xi To Stay In Power Forever
Content adapted from this Zerohedge.com article : Source
China is about to name an emporer for life.
The Communist Party in China is about to do away with the two-term constitutional limit allowing President Xi Jinping to rule for life.
This is not a complete surprise since it follows the decision last Ocotober to omit naming a successor. The move by the Community Party will put Jonping's name on the consistitution, the first living leader to have that honory.
According to the NY Times, the constitution was amended last month although details were not released.
In another victory for Mr. Xi, the draft amendments to the Constitution would also add his trademark expression for his main ideas - "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" - into the preamble of the Constitution, as well as adding a nod to the ideological contributions of his predecessor, Mr. Hu.
The amendments are almost certain to be passed into law by the party-controlled legislature, the National People's Congress, which holds its annual full session from March 5. The congress has never voted down a proposal from party leaders.
This move will only make the power absolute for the already powerful leader. Any resistence to his rule is now gone. All will have to get on board with his agenda since there is no way of knowing how long his rule will last.
At the same party congress, Mr. Xi conspicuously broke with precedent by choosing not to name a pair of much younger officials to the Politburo's ruling inner circle, the seven-member standing committee, to serve as his heirs-in-waiting. Instead, Mr. Xi chose men — no women — who were closer to his own age or older.
Mr. Xi's strongman style has been compared to that of the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin. But even Mr. Putin, who has amassed considerable personal power, did not try to erase his country's constitutional limit on serving more than two consecutive terms as president as he approached that limit in 2008.
Instead, he arranged for a close adviser with limited personal influence, Dmitri A. Medvedev, to serve as president for a single term while Mr. Putin held the post of prime minister. Mr. Putin then returned to the presidency in 2012, and is running this year for re-election to another term.
Mr. Xi may now have even greater power, and the question will be how he chooses to use it.
"Xi Jinping is susceptible to making big mistakes because there are now almost no checks or balances," said Willy Lam, an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who is the author of a biography of Mr. Xi in 2015. "Essentially, he has become emperor for life."
It is good to be the King.
It definately looks like China by changing the constitution which allows Xi to stay in power until his last breath is what they and people of China want. Why not, so far everything works just fine. We should expect Xi to be the leader of China’s political force for at least the next decade based on his health and age. As a matter of fact I just don’t see any reasonable challenges for him since he has already removed any potential political competitors. His taugh ways of socialism has proved to be working for Chinese citizens, even though they have their own problems such as poverty or pollution, but it’s different story we could write many pages about. I believe that once people know he will be the leade for who knows how long, it will strengthen his power and motivate everybody to stick with him while any competition will think he is almighty. Another issue could be the nuclear power, which is growing in China at staggering rate. We don't know what is going to happen with Iran, or North Korea and we can't be certain of the future in China when it come to nuclear weapons. Who are they willing to work with especially who is willing Mr.Xi to work with.
oh wow this is huge. xi jinping seems to be dead set on rebuilding china, but i'm not sure if removing the term limit is good for the long term prospects of the country...
Absolute power corrupts absolutely! Those in power will never learn. They feather there nest in the short term by supporting these types of things and then are shocked when the power is used against them. Sad day for any country when the top spot turns from election to king for life.
I’m sure this guy has a brain. People of China love this guy, his way of dictatorship is completely different than of other countries. So far it definately works and that’s why the Chinese goverment doesn’t want to make any changes. He builds the power and respect for China all over the world unlike US which is shrinking in power Day by Day. I would definately compare Putin and Mr.Xi with their similarities such as dictatorship, while citizens of each country have a respect and trust in these leaders. Not that I like their way of leading their countries, however it’s some kind on their way of democratic socialism, my number one of our country is democracy, even though sometimes it’s questionable. It is only matter of time when China surpasses the overall economy of any country in the world if not already. Your posts always brings new and fresh information before mainstream media change it in to propaganda.
@zer0hedge..bro China has been going full on fash for a while now. They can't afford any internal disruption at this juncture so it's iron clad internal control from now on. So much for the sleeping dragon. Xi's main threat now comes from his own party. Cause one thing that hasn't changed is everybody wants to be emperor.Somehow I saw this coming years ago, when someone was showing me these pictures of Xi going to very ordinary restaurants to make himself look like a normal person.
In Western history, there are plenty of examples of autocrats who first position themselves as "one of us" In medieval times people knew that the king's wars were his own business, and not the people's business. Nowadays, wars are total wars, and everyone is dragged into them..thank you for sharing with us..
Xi's book "Governance of China" reveals exactly what "... with Chinese Characteristics" means.
Marx's himself saw an "intermediate step" as essential on the long march from Capitalism to Marxism. This is Xi's sweet spot between Capitalism's Unplannable, Dangerous Freedom and Marxism's Grinding, Murderous Destitution. A simple, pre-approved doctrinal technicality within the 'true' Marxist construct. He goes out of his way to specifically state that it will be necessary to remain here a "very long time".
Current Chinese leadership have been around long enough to remember the bloody Cultural Revolution and can mentally conceive what repeating it would be like (as opposed to Collegiate American Marxists that are fully clueless to what this level of violence truly entails).
While there is much wrong with China, one has to admire Xi's (and two predecessor's) ability to understand, conceive, advocate and move the country from mass murder (by Mao's standard) to mass production while keeping the shell corporation of control intact.
that's what happens in authoritarian countries sooner or later
So it's going from communism to a dictatorship? This seems pretty concerning although I'm not too familiar with Chinese politics maybe they feel more secure with their traditions of the past. They are one of the longest standing civilizations still here today.
Where is this world heading with these contradictory decisions going on under it's nose. Xi Jinping is a good leader, I admit that.. and the people's love for him speaks for itself. But this is not how people are served. However good you are at the dance floor, you don't get to dance the whole day on it.
People need to be given chances to lead and govern the governments of their respective countries inorder to give the young generation hope of leading too. I honestly doubt that there is a young chinese out there who dreams of leading the country.
my opinion China has its own way in politics, they have high political of his ancestors.
as evidence in some countries ruled by the Chinese community, and in terms of their finances better know how to run it.
thanks @zer0hedge for update info