Key facts
- A total of 2,360 delegates will be elected by 38 electoral units across the country, the statement said.
- Candidates must exceed the number of seats by more than 15 percent in the delegate election.
- The statement called for zero tolerance for violations of rules, discipline and laws in the electoral process.
- The election will run until the end of June 2027, according to the statement.
- The statement urged putting political standards first and strict scrutiny of candidates' integrity and conduct.
China's ruling Communist Party has released a circular for the election of delegates to its 21st national congress, state news agency Xinhua reported on November 7. The Central Committee issued guidelines for selecting the delegates, a process overseen by its Organization Department.
The congress will be held in the second half of 2027 in Beijing, the 20th CPC Central Committee decided at its fifth plenary session in late October. A total of 2,360 delegates will be elected by 38 electoral units across the country, according to an official statement released on November 7.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, convened meetings of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and the Political Bureau to study the matter and set out overall requirements, objectives and tasks for the work, the statement said.
The statement urged putting political standards first, applying strict eligibility criteria and enforcing electoral discipline. It called for strict scrutiny of candidates' integrity and conduct, and said front-line workers, model workers, farmers and professionals should be recommended as candidates, with women and ethnic minority party members each making up a certain proportion.
Delegates will be elected through a process in which the number of candidates must exceed the number of seats by more than 15 percent. The statement stressed the need for oversight throughout the electoral process and zero tolerance for violations of rules, discipline and laws, with any violation to be resolutely investigated and dealt with. The election will run until the end of June 2027.