China’s parliament back’s president’s bid to serve third term

China’s president Xi Jinping has secured a precedent-breaking third five-year term putting him on track to remain in power for the rest of his life.

The nearly 3,000 members of National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s largely ceremonial parliament, voted unanimously for Xi after the constitution was changed to remove the traditional two-term limit for the post.

The NPC, whose members are appointed by the ruling Communist party, cast 2,952 votes for Xi over about an hour but no one voted against him.

No candidate lists were distributed, and Xi as well as those who secured other posts were believed to have run unopposed.

Xi, was also unanimously named commander of the two million-member People’s Liberation Army.