China to elect new State leaders in March 2008

Beijing—China has decided to convene the first plenary session of the 11th National People’s Congress (NPC) on March 5, 2008, during which top state and government leaders will be elected.
The 31st meeting of the 10th NPC Standing Committee, which concluded here Saturday, passed a resolution which sets forth suggestions for the session’s agenda.
According to the resolution, the session, which will last for about two weeks, will elect chairman and vice chairmen of the NPC Standing Committee, and elect the country’s president and vice-president. It will decide on the list of the State Council’s premier and vice premiers, as well as state councilors and ministers for government departments.
The meeting will elect chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China, and heads of the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
The agenda also includes reading and approval of the government report; checking and approval of reports on the implementation of the annual plan on national economic and social development in 2007 and the draft plan on national economic and social development in 2008, and checking and approval of reports on the implementation of the central and local budgets of 2007 and the draft central and local budgets of 2008.
The session will also hear and deliberate three work reports by the NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, and a State Council plan on institutional reform. The NPC is the highest institution through which the Chinese people exercise their state power.
In 1953, China held people’s congresses at different levels. In1954, the First National People’s Congress (NPC) was convened, marking the establishment of the people’s congress system in China.
The NPC exercises legislative power, amends the Constitution and supervises its enforcement, formulates and amends basic statutes and other laws; elects and decides on the leading personnel of state-level administrative, judicial, procuratorial and military bodies, and has the right to recall them; supervises government work in accordance with the Constitution and laws; and examines and decides on the fundamental, long-term and key issues of the state. All administrative, judicial, procuratorial and military organs and other state-level institutions are responsible to the NPC and supervised by it.

—The Daily Mail, China Daily news exchange item