China’s Communist Party announced Saturday that it agreed to amend its constitution, ahead of a keenly-watched congress, with speculation mounting that leader Xi Jinping’s name will be added to the document, enshrining his legacy.
The Central Committee said it had passed an amendment to the party's constitution at the end of a plenary meeting held in advance of the main twice-a-decade congress, which opens Wednesday and is expected to see Xi tighten his grip on power.
“The document will be submitted to the upcoming 19th CPC National Congress for review,” it said in a statement released through the official state news agency, without giving further details.
China’s ruling Communist Party appointed party officials close to Xi as the CPC concluded a key meeting to finalise preparations for next week’s once-in-a-five-year Congress
The plenum has also ratified the Politburo’s earlier decisions to expel 12 disgraced Central Committee members from the party. The expelled members were replaced by 11 alternate members, including Jiangsu party chief Li Qiang, who was Xi's top aide during his time in Zhejiang and is seen as a frontrunner for promotion to the 25-member strong Politburo at the Congress.
