Presidium Elected, Agenda Set for China's Parliamentary Session

Deputies to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) Monday elected a presidium and set the agenda for the landmark legislative session to begin on Tuesday.

It was the first time the NPC deputies, who were elected earlier this year, gathered at the Great Hall of the People for the annual full session of the national legislature.

A 178-member presidium and secretary-general were elected to take charge of the procedures of the session, said Fu Ying, spokeswoman of the session, at a press conference here.

Li Jianguo was elected secretary-general of the NPC session, which is scheduled to last 12-and-a-half days, she said.

According to the agenda, deputies will elect the chairman and vice chairpersons of the 12th NPC Standing Committee, as well as the country's president and vice president. They will also decide on the premier, vice premiers, state councilors and government ministers.

Deputies will elect the chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China and heads of the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

They will hear and deliberate the government work report and examine the report on the national economic and social development plan and the central and local budgets.

They will also hear and deliberate the work reports of the NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

The plan on institutional restructuring and function transformation of the State Council will also be tabled for deliberation at the session.

Wu Bangguo, chairman of the 11th NPC Standing Committee, called on new deputies to earnestly fulfill their constitutional and legal obligations during the session, effectuate the deliberation of all bills and the election of a new leadership of the country.

"I hope the session will be democratic, united, pragmatic and progressive," said Wu, who presided over the preparatory meeting.

The presidium is composed of senior officials of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the state, non-Communist parties and All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, personages without party affiliation, heads of central government agencies and people's organizations, leading members of all the 35 delegations to the NPC session including those from Hong Kong and Macao and the People's Liberation Army.

The presidium met shortly after the preparatory session closed. Zhang Dejiang and five other deputies were elected executive chairpersons of the presidium. Zhang will preside over the presidium meetings.

This has marked the end of the official duty of the 11th NPC Standing Committee.

The presidium also came out a list of candidates for members of the financial and economic committee of the 12th NPC, which will be submitted for approval on Tuesday when the session opens.

Deputies have to decide on the makeup of the financial and economic committee ahead of other NPC special committees because the committee members need to examine the central and local budgets.

Members of the other NPC special committees will be decided before the end of the session.

Earlier Monday morning before the preparatory meeting, the Council of Chairmen of the 11th NPC Standing Committee concluded its last meeting to make preparations for the upcoming session.

The meeting, presided over by Wu, finalized a list of candidates for the presidium and secretary-general of the first session of th 12th NPC and heard a report on the session's draft agenda, which were later submitted to the preparatory meeting.

(Source: Xinhua)