China's lawmakers attending the ongoing national legislative session are expecting three busy days from Thursday to elect and appoint state leaders.
The proceedings happen every five years and will affect the country's legislative, administrative and judicial organs.
On Thursday, deputies to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) will vote to elect the chairman, vice chairpersons, general secretary and members of the 12th NPC Standing Committee.
On the same day, they will elect the country's president and vice president as well as chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the People's Republic of China.
On Friday, lawmakers will vote to decide on the premier and CMC vice chairpersons. They will also vote to elect heads of the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the country's chief justice and procurator-general.
On Saturday, lawmakers will decide on vice premiers, state councilors, government ministers, governor of the central bank and chief auditor, who form the country's cabinet.
The methods of election and appointment were adopted by the presidium of the first session of the 12th NPC on March 9 and passed by lawmakers at a plenary meeting on March 10.
NOMINATION
Candidates to leaders and members of the NPC Standing Committee, president, vice president, CMC chairman, chief justice and procurator-general were nominated by the presidium of the first session of the 12th NPC.
The NPC Standing Committee chairman, vice chairpersons, general secretary and members must be selected from NPC deputies.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee recommended the candidates for state leaders to the session's presidium.
In February, at its second plenary session, the 18th CPC Central Committee adopted a list of candidates for state leadership positions and decided to submit it to the presidium of the first session of the 12th NPC.
The candidate for premier will be proposed by the newly-elected president and cabinet members will be proposed by the newly-appointed premier.
Vice chairpersons and members of the CMC will be nominated by the newly-elected CMC chairman.
ELECTION
From Thursday to Saturday, lawmakers will cast a total of nine ballots, six to elect and three to appoint.
Among six election ballots, one is for NPC Standing Committee chairman, vice chairpersons and general secretary, one for NPC Standing Committee members, one for president and vice president, one for CMC chairman, one for chief justice and the last for procurator-general.
Except the NPC Standing Committee members, each vacancy in the elections will have only one candidate.
Lawmakers can vote for, against or abstain from voting. If they are against the presented candidate, they can choose another one and write his or her name on the ballot.
The NPC Standing Committee members will be elected from a group of candidates which are at least 8 percent more than the available vacancies.
Three appointment ballots are for the premier, cabinet members as well as CMC vice chairpersons and members.
When a lawmaker receives an appointment ballot, he or she can vote for, against or give up but is not allowed to choose another candidate, which is different from the elections.
Nearly 3,000 lawmakers will vote through a secret ballot in person.
A candidate is elected or appointed once he or she wins more than half of the votes.
Read more:
Special report: Exploring the 2013 NPC & CPPCC sessions
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