After intensive bargaining, the Chinese Communist Party has approved a new leadership lineup that denies President Hu Jintao (
The party's Central Committee agreed to elevate four senior officials to the ruling Politburo Standing Committee, but only one of them -- Li Keqiang (
Xi Jinping (
Xi, whose father was a senior party official under Mao Zedong (
Two other new members of the Standing Committee, He Guoqiang (
Personnel shifts in the ruling party are decided in secret and the final leadership lineup will not be made public until the conclusion of a party congress, which convenes tomorrow.
In the past, top leaders have continued to bargain and make changes in the hierarchy even after the Central Committee approves a slate of candidates.
The Central Committee issued a public statement on Friday that offered no information about personnel decisions, but conferred lavish praise on Hu.
Under Hu, the party "vanquished all kinds of hardship and dangers and advanced the work of the party and government to achieve major new successes," the statement said.
The committee also said the party would amend its Constitution. That suggests that Hu's concept of "scientific development" to promote balanced and sustainable development, will be enshrined in the Constitution.
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