National
People's Congress
The NPC, the highest organ of state power
in the PRC, consists of deputies elected by all the provinces,
autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central
Government, special administrative regions and the armed forces.
It exercises legislative power, revises the Constitution and supervises
the implementation of the Constitution; examines and approves
national economic and social development plans and reports on
their implementation; examines and approves state budgets and
reports on their implementation; and elects and decides on the
choice of leading personnel of the highest state organs, i.e.,
elects the members of the Standing Committee of the NPC, the state
president and vice-president, decides on the premier and other
members of the State Council, and elects the chairman and other
members of the Central Military Commission, the president of the
Supreme People’s Court, and the procurator-general of the Supreme
People’s Procuratorate. The NPC has the power to recall the above-mentioned
personnel.
The NPC is elected for a term of five
years. It usually meets once a year. When the NPC is not in session
its Standing Committee exercises state power. The NPC Standing
Committee is composed of a chairman, several vice-chairmen, a
secretary-general and additional members. Members of the NPC Standing
Committee may not concurrently hold any position in any of the
state administrative, judicial or procuratorial organs. Under
normal circumstances, the NPC Standing Committee meets once every
two months. Important day-to-day work is handled at executive
meetings attended by the chairman, vice-chairmen and secretary-general.
The current chairman of the NPC Standing Committee is Li Peng.
