Chinese election procedures for its highest leaders are essentially based on a series of representative elections that begin with a direct vote of the people for local and village elections performed by local election committees. In cities, the local elections are broken down by residential area or work units.
Citizens 18 and older vote for village and local people’s congresses; those congresses in turn elect the representatives to provincial people’s congresses.
The provincial congresses in China’s 23 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities directly ruled by the Central Government, special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao, and armed forces, then elect the roughly 3,000 delegates to the National People’s Congress.
The National People’s Congress is empowered to elect China’s President, Premier, Vice President and Chair of the Central Military Commission as well as the President of the Supreme People’s Court and the Procurator-General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
The NPC also elects the NPC Standing Committee, a 175-member body made up of NPC representatives which meets year-round to approve routine and administrative issues. The NPC also has to power to remove any of the above-listed positions.
On the first day of the Legislative Session, the NPC also elects the NPC Presidium, made up of 171 of its members. The Presidium determines the session’s agenda, voting procedures on bills and a list of non-voting delegates that can attend the NPC session.