Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress

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Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
全国人民代表大会常务委员会委员长
National Emblem of the People's Republic of China (2).svg
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
Zhao in 2023.jpg
Incumbent
Zhao Leji
since March 10, 2023
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
Type Presiding officer
Status National leader level official
Member of Council of Chairpersons
Nominator Presidium of the National People's Congress
Appointer National People's Congress
Term length 5 years,
renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrument Constitution of China
Formation27 September 1954;69 years ago (1954-09-27)
First holder Liu Shaoqi
Deputy Vice Chairpersons
Secretary-General
Salary CN¥150,000 per annum est. (2015) [1]
Website www.npc.gov.cn
Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
Simplified Chinese 全国人民代表大会常务委员会委员长
Traditional Chinese 全國人民代表大會常務委員會委員長

The chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress is the presiding officer of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC), which is the permanent body of the National People's Congress (NPC), the national legislature of China.

Contents

The chairman is formally nominated by the Presidium of the NPC during a session and approved by the delegations of the NPC, though in reality is chosen within the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). [2] The chairman presides over the work of the NPCSC and convenes and presides over its meetings. The chairman is assisted by the vice chairpersons and secretary-general of the NPCSC, who together makeup the Council of Chairpersons. [3] A vice chairperson may be delegated to exercise some of the chairman's powers by the chairman. In the case that the chairman becomes incapacitated, NPCSC temporarily elects one of the vice chairpersons until the chairman is able to resume their work or a new chairman is elected by the NPC. [4] [ non-primary source needed ] The position holds reserve constitutional powers under the 1982 revision of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China. As stipulated in Article 84 of the Constitution, should both the president and vice president become incapacitated, and the National People's Congress is unable to elect a timely replacement, the chairman of the NPCSC will act as president. [4] [ non-primary source needed ]

From 1998 to 2013, the position was ranked second in the hierarchy of the Politburo Standing Committee of the CCP, since Li Peng was barred from seeking a third term as premier in 1998. In the political order of precedence, the chairman ranks below the CCP general secretary (paramount leader) and president (state representative). [5] The ranking of this position is not necessarily reflective of its actual power, which varies depending on the officeholder. The incumbent chairman is Zhao Leji, who is the third-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee.

History

Initially, there were disagreements to whether name the post "chairman" (委员长 or 主席) or "speaker" (议长). However, ultimately the word "chairman" (委员长) was adopted. [6] The office came into existence with the adoption of the 1954 Constitution, with Liu Shaoqi becoming its first holder. [6]

From 1975 to 1983, the chairman of the Standing Committee served as state representative of the People's Republic of China, as the presidency had been written out of the 1975 constitution and was also excluded from the 1978 draft. [7] Theoretically, during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, the officeholder at the time, Wan Li, had the power to call an emergency session of the NPC to resolve the issue constitutionally. However, Wan's freedom of movement was restricted, and ultimately rendered powerless in the situation. [8]

Between 1993 and 1998, the office was held by Qiao Shi, who was the third-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee. Qiao tried to get rid off the NPC's "rubber stamp" reputation and turn it into an institution with real power in establishing the rule of law. [9]

On 16 March 1998, Li Peng was elected the chairman of the NPCSC, replacing Qiao Shi. However, he was elected with less than 90% of the vote, with around three hundred delegates not backing him, despite the fact that he was the only candidate. [10]

List of chairpersons

Multiple terms in office, consecutive or otherwise, are listed and counted in the first column counts individuals and the second column (term number).

Generations of leadership
No.ChairpersonNPC termTook officeLeft officePolitical Party
1 LiuShaoqi Colour.jpg Liu Shaoqi
刘少奇
1st September 15, 1954April 28, 1959 Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
2 Zhu De.jpg Zhu De
朱德
2nd April 28, 1959January 4, 1965
3rd January 4, 1965January 17, 1975
4th January 17, 1975July 6, 1976
Office vacant July 7, 1976–March 5, 1978 [lower-alpha 1]
3 Ye Jianying.jpg Ye Jianying
叶剑英
5th March 5, 1978June 18, 1983Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
4 Peng Zhen 1956.jpg Peng Zhen
彭真
6th June 18, 1983April 13, 1988
5 Wan Li
万里
7th April 13, 1988March 27, 1993
6 Qiao Shi
乔石
8th March 27, 1993March 15, 1998
7 Li Peng.png Li Peng
李鹏
9th March 15, 1998March 15, 2003
8 Wu Bangguo Beijing2011.jpg Wu Bangguo
吴邦国
10th March 15, 2003March 15, 2008
11th March 15, 2008March 14, 2013
9 Zhang Dejiang in May.2014.jpg Zhang Dejiang
张德江
12th March 14, 2013March 17, 2018
10 Li Zhanshu in 2016.jpg Li Zhanshu
栗战书
13th March 17, 2018March 10, 2023
11 Zhao in 2023.jpg Zhao Leji
赵乐际
14th March 10, 2023Incumbent

Timeline

Zhao LejiLi ZhanshuZhang DejiangWu BangguoLi PengQiao ShiWan LiPeng ZhenYe JianyingZhu DeLiu ShaoqiChairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress

Notes

  1. During this vacancy Soong Ching-ling performed the functions and duties of the chairperson as the first vice chairperson.

Further reading

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References

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  5. Truex 2016, p. 53.
  6. 1 2 "两会常识|全国人大为何设"委员长"而不是"议长"". The Paper . 4 March 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  7. Mackerras, McMillen & Watson 2001, p. 232.
  8. Truex 2016, p. 167.
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