CPC initiates election process for delegates to 20th national congress

BEIJING, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has released a circular on the election of delegates to the Party's 20th national congress, making comprehensive plans for related work.

The Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee has made detailed arrangements for the election, according to an official statement released Thursday.

The CPC will convene its 20th national congress in Beijing in the second half of 2022, the 19th CPC Central Committee decided at its sixth plenary session earlier this month.

The congress comes at an important time when the CPC has embarked on a new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects and to realize the Second Centenary Goal. It will be a highly important meeting and an event of great political significance for both the Party and the country, said the statement.

The election of the delegates will lay an important foundation for the success of this congress, it said.

According to the CPC leadership, a total of 2,300 delegates will be elected by 38 electoral units across the country, said the statement, calling for intraparty democracy and strict procedures to ensure that high-caliber delegates are elected, their composition is well structured, and the delegates come from a broad spectrum with the support of other Party members.

Delegates should be excellent Party members, the statement said, adding that political standards must be prioritized when selecting candidates. The candidates' commitment to ideals and convictions should be considered first, as well as their political character and moral traits.

The statement stressed improving the composition of delegates, with a certain proportion for front-line workers maintained. Efforts must be made to recommend model workers, farmers and professionals to stand for delegate elections. Women and people from ethnic minorities should constitute a certain proportion of the delegates.

People from economic, sci-tech, national defense, political and legal affairs, education, communication, culture, health, sports and social management, among others, should have representations.

Grassroots Party members and organizations should be extensively mobilized to take part in the nomination of candidates.

The statement also urged efforts to take into full account the views of grassroots Party organizations, delegates to Party congresses, Party members, and the masses.

The statement said the delegates should be elected from among over 15 percent more candidates.

Party organizations at various levels were asked to enhance leadership concerning election-related work.

The statement also warned against violations of rules, discipline and law, stressing the need for supervision over the entire electoral process.

The statement urged solid work to make the election a process of studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

It also stressed the importance of motivating Party members and officials to rally more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core.

The election will run from now on until the end of June 2022, according to the statement.