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Xuanjuquan China
How voting works

✶ People's Republic of China · 1.41 billion residents (2020 census, mainland)

A billion voters,
one party.

"All power in the People's Republic of China belongs to the people. The organs through which the people exercise state power are the National People's Congress and local people's congresses at all levels." (Constitution, Article 2.) Voters elect only the lowest two of five tiers of people's congresses: 1.064 billion took part in the last round. Each tier elects the next, up to the 2,977-member National People's Congress, which elects the President. The Communist Party, whose leadership Article 1 names as "the defining feature" of the system, chooses its candidates first.

How voting works → How the Party chooses
Level by level · 层层选举 · as of end of 2024
  1. 175NPC Standing Committee · elected by the NPC
  2. 2,977 National People's Congress deputies 全国 · elected by provincial congresses and the armed forces
  3. 34 Province congresses 省级 · elected by the level below
  4. 333 Prefecture congresses 地级 · elected by county congresses
  5. 2,846 County congresses 县 · 670,563 deputies elected by voters
  6. 38,712 Township congresses 乡镇 · 1,958,884 deputies elected by voters

One block per real congress (NBS, end 2024; on phones one per four township congresses). Lit: the two levels voters elect directly. The red column is the Party, which leads every level. There are no party results to colour by.

14th National People's Congress · elected Dec 2022 – Jan 2023

2,977
deputies.

  • 2,170Provinces
  • 256Autonomous regions
  • 209Municipalities
  • 48Hong Kong & Macao
  • 13Taiwan delegation
  • 281Armed forces
1489 a majority of all deputies

2,847 seated on 28 Aug 2026. Delegations →

Current leadership

Who holds
office.

  • General Secretary · President · CMC chair Xi Jinping
  • Premier Li Qiang
  • Chair, NPC Standing Committee Zhao Leji
  • Chair, CPPCC Wang Huning
  • Vice President Han Zheng

Photos: Li Qiang — European Union, Attribution · Zhao Leji — Palácio do Planalto from Brasilia, Brasil, CC BY 2.0 · Wang Huning — China News Service, CC BY 4.0 · Han Zheng — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, CC BY 4.0 . Others public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Politburo Standing Committee: Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi. Politburo: 22 members after the expulsions and promotion recorded since 2022.

How each is chosen →

NPC deputies by electoral unit

Henan 174,
Macao 12.

Taiwan, which the PRC claims and the Republic of China governs, is hatched; the PRC seats 13 deputies for it.

All 34 units →

Loading map…

Brighter red: more NPC deputies.

Next

The road
to 2027 and 2028.

  1. 22 Nov 2026 Hong Kong: Election Committee subsector elections

    Voters in 31 contested subsectors choose 723 of the 1,500-member committee that will elect 40 legislators and the next Chief Executive; 259 members were returned unopposed.

  2. expected Mar 2027 Hong Kong: Chief Executive election

    The Election Committee chooses the Chief Executive for 2027–32; a winner needs more than 750 votes. Polling date not yet announced.

  3. expected Mar 2027 China: National People's Congress, 5th session

    The last annual session of the 14th NPC. The constitution requires one session a year; recent sessions have opened on 5 March. No date announced.

  4. expected Jul 2027 China: 21st Communist Party Congress

    Delegates (2,300 were allotted for the 20th Congress) elect a new Central Committee, which then chooses the Politburo, its Standing Committee and the General Secretary. Set for Beijing in the second half of 2027.

Full calendar →

In comparison

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