Endorsed by lawmakers : President Xi rules for life

President Xi is to rule for life after China’s National People’s Congress passed the change with only two votes cast against

Xi Jinping’s grip on power in China has tightened with the country’s parliament approving plans to abolish presidential term limits.

Yesterday the National People’s Congress in Beijing gave its approval in a near-unanimous vote.  Of the 2,964 delegates, only two voted against the measure, three abstained and another ballot paper was deemed invalid.

The vote was seen by Beijing as necessary to keep the authority of President Xi, 64, intact and continue one-man rule under him. It also marked the Communist Party’s official return to totalitarian rule with an emperor-like figure.

The announcement of the parliament’s approval was followed by state media reports of unanimous grassroots support and “unwavering support” from the armed forces.