China to enshrine Xi's ideological thought in Constitution
Beijing, Jan 19- Xi Jinping, recently christened as "lingxiu", a leader with highest prestige, further cemented his powers as the most powerful leader after Mao Zedong, with the Chinese president's ideological thought set to be enshrined in the Constitution, state media said on Friday.
The Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) proposed to write 64-year-old Xi's 'Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era' into the Constitution to take forward Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.
"We should keep pace with the times and improve the Constitution while maintaining its consistency, stability and authority," the report quoted CPC document as saying.
The amending process should take Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guide, it said.
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A proposal from the CPC Central Committee[/caption]
A proposal from the CPC Central Committee on the revision to the Constitution was adopted at the meeting.
Only the ideological thoughts of CPC founder Mao and his successor Deng Xiaoping were mentioned in the Constitution along with their names so far.
Ahead of this meeting, official media declared him as "lingxiu" meaning a leader with highest prestige.
Xi, a princeling born to former vice premier Xi Zhongxun, will be the only modern era leader to be mentioned directly in the Constitution which analysts say may enable him to remain leader of the party and the country for life doing away with the two five-year term followed by his predecessor Hu Jintao.
Hu's predecessor Jiang Zemin also relinquished the leadership after 10 years at the helm even though he remained head of the military for a while.
Xi, who started his tenure as the head of the party, Presidency and the military in 2013, has begun his second five-year term after the once-in-a-five-year Congress of the CPC endorsed his leadership and approved his thought to be included in the Constitution.
Since then he has officially been regarded as the highest-ranking leader ending the collective leadership system followed in the past two decades.
Xi has already solidified his leadership with massive anti-graft campaign in the last five year in which over a million officials including top military generals were punished for corruption.
The CPC document has stressed that any act against the country's Constitution will be dealt with according to law.
"All anti-Constitutional behaviour shall be corrected, without fail. No organisation or individual has the power to overstep the Constitution or the law," it warned.
The new constitutional process was expected to be completed after the approvals by the legislature -- the National People's Congress (NPC) -- which is expected to meet in March this year. PTI
