General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party

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General Secretary of the
Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
中国共产党中央委员会总书记
Danghui.svg
Flag of the Chinese Communist Party.svg
Xi Jinping (2023-04-06).jpg
Incumbent
Xi Jinping
since 15 November 2012
Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party
Style
Type Party leader, paramount leader
Status National leader level official
Member of Politburo Standing Committee
Reports to Central Committee
Residence Qinzheng Hall, Zhongnanhai [1]
Seat Beijing
NominatorCentral Committee
AppointerCentral Committee
Term length Five years, renewable
Constituting instrument Party Constitution
Precursor Chairman (1943–1976)
Inaugural holder Chen Duxiu
Formation23 July 1921;102 years ago (1921-07-23)
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
Simplified Chinese 中国共产党中央委员会总书记
Traditional Chinese 中國共產黨中央委員會總書記

The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount leader of the PRC.

Contents

According to the CCP constitution, the general secretary is elected during a plenary session of the Central Committee. The general secretary serves as an ex officio member of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), China's de facto top decision-making body. The general secretary is also the head of the Secretariat, and sets the agenda of Central Committee, Politburo and PSC meetings. Since the 1990s, the holder of the post has been, except for transitional periods, the president of China, making the holder the head of state, and the chairman of the Central Military Commission, the supreme commander of the People's Liberation Army. [note 1]

As the top leader of the world's largest economy by GDP purchasing power parity (PPP), the second largest economy by GDP nominal, the largest military in the world by personnel, a recognized nuclear weapons state, U.N. Security Council permanent member, and a potential superpower, the general secretary is considered to be one of the world's most powerful political figures. [3]

The incumbent general secretary is Xi Jinping, who took office on 15 November 2012 and was re-elected twice on 25 October 2017 and 23 October 2022. The last person to rule the country for more than two terms was Mao Zedong, who served as Chairman of the CCP Central Committee from 1943 until his death in 1976.

History

The post was established by the 12th Central Committee in 1982, replacing the post of Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party. Since its revival in 1982, the post of general secretary has been the highest office in the CCP, though it did not become the most powerful post until Deng Xiaoping's retirement in 1990. [4]

Since the mid-1990s, starting with Jiang Zemin, the general secretary has traditionally also held the post of president of China. [4] While the presidency is a ceremonial post, it is customary for the general secretary to assume the presidency to confirm his status as head of state. It has additionally been held together with the post of chairman of the Central Military Commission, making the holder the supreme commander of the People's Liberation Army. [4]

Election

The CCP general secretary is nominally elected by a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party from among the members of the Politburo Standing Committee. [5] In practice, the de facto method of selecting the general secretary has varied over time. The two most recent general secretaries, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping, were first elevated to the position of first Secretary of the Secretariat in the same process used to determine the membership and roles of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee. Under this informal process, the first secretary would be chosen during deliberations by incumbent Politburo members and retired Politburo Standing Committee members in the lead up to a Party Congress. The first secretary would later succeed the retiring general secretary as part of a generational leadership transition at the subsequent party congress.

Powers and position

The powers and roles of the general secretary are vaguely defined, with no term limits or written rules for selecting a successor. [4] However, as China is a one-party state, the general secretary holds ultimate power and authority over state and government, [6] and is usually considered the "paramount leader" of China. [7] However, most of the people until Xi Jinping who have held the post have held far less power than Mao Zedong. [8]

According to the Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party, the general secretary serves as an ex officio member of the Politburo Standing Committee. [9] According to regulations of the CCP, the general secretary is responsible for convening the meetings of the Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee. The general secretary additionally presides over the work of the Secretariat. The general secretary also sets the topics of Central Committee, Politburo and Politburo Standing Committee meetings. [10]

See also

Notes

  1. Xi Jinping was named general secretary of the CCP and took over the chairmanship of the Central Military Commission from Hu Jintao in November 2012. [2]

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