The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has released a circular for the election of delegates to the Party's 21st 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 Saturday.
The CPC will convene its 21st national congress in the second half of 2027 in Beijing, the 20th CPC Central Committee decided at its fifth plenary session in late October.
The congress comes at a critical time when the CPC has been working to basically realize socialist modernization and heading toward 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, the statement said.
The election of the delegates will lay an important foundation for the success of this congress, it said.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, convened meetings of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to study the matter in depth and set out overall requirements, objectives and tasks for carrying out the work, according to the statement.
A total of 2,360 delegates to the congress will be elected by 38 electoral units across the country, the statement said.
It urged putting political standards first, applying strict eligibility criteria, following rigorous electoral procedures, and strictly enforcing electoral discipline, to ensure that those elected are of high caliber, well-structured in composition, and broadly representative, with the support of Party members.
The statement stressed the importance of examining candidates' political stance and awareness, as well as their capacity for political judgment, thinking and implementation. It also called for strict scrutiny of candidates' integrity and conduct.
Front-line workers should account for an appropriate proportion of the delegates. Efforts must be made to recommend model workers, farmers and professionals as candidates in the election. Women Party members and Party members from ethnic minority groups should each make up a certain proportion of the delegates.
The delegates should come from a wide range of fields, including the economy, science and technology, national defense, law enforcement and the justice system, education, public communication, culture, health, sports and social administration. The delegates should also include workers in new forms of employment, the statement said.
The delegates will be elected through a process in which the number of candidates must exceed the number of seats by more than 15 percent.
The statement stressed the need to ensure oversight throughout the electoral process and maintain zero tolerance for violations of rules, discipline and laws. Any violation should be resolutely investigated and dealt with, it added.
It urged making the election a process of studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, particularly Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building.
The election will run from now until the end of June 2027.
