China's parliament re-elects Xi Jinping as president

[March 17, 2018]    BEIJING (Reuters) - China's largely rubber-stamp parliament on Saturday unanimously re-elected Xi Jinping as the country's president.

Chinese President Xi Jinping walks with his ballot before a vote at the fifth plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China March 17, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee

The vote was witnessed by journalists inside central Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

The legislature is packed with delegates loyal to the ruling Communist Party meaning Xi's re-election was never in doubt. On Sunday parliament voted to amend the constitution to remove presidential term limits, meaning Xi can stay indefinitely.

(Reporting by Philip Wen; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Joseph Radford)

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