Leadership Change Election · Full chronicle and history

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is seeking a third term, sparking controversy over whether this violates the FIFA statutes, which limit the presidency to three terms.

Recently, a class group at Suzhou City University issued a notice requiring students to sign up by noon on November 6 to confirm whether they will participate in the district-level People's Congress election on December 8, with the class monitor responsible for consolidation. Students registered in the school's constituency who cannot attend on the day of the vote may authorize a teacher or classmate at the school to vote on their behalf.

East China Normal University announced that classes will be suspended during the day on November 16 and resume in the evening to facilitate the district-level People's Congress representative elections.

Xi Jinping went to the Zhongnanhai polling station to cast his vote in the Beijing district-level People's Congress election, with state media high-profilely promoting 'whole-process democracy'.

Xi Jinping went to the Huairentang polling station in Zhongnanhai to participate in the voting for the election of deputies to the People's Congress of Xicheng District, Beijing.

On November 6, Beijing held elections for the renewal of district and township people's congress deputies. Former CCP General Secretary Hu Jintao entrusted staff members to cast his ballot on his behalf, marking the third consecutive election since 2016 that he has not voted in person.

On November 6, during the voting for the grassroots People's Congress representative election in Beijing, multiple netizens reported that voters received cash subsidies and daily necessities at the neighborhood committee sites.

On November 6, Xi Jinping cast his vote for the 18th district people's congress representative election at the Huai Ren Tang polling station in Xicheng District, Beijing.

On November 6, Beijing held elections for district and township-level People's Congress representatives. A voter posted a photo of their Haidian District ballot, showing they had written in the name of Taiwan's DPP legislator Shen Po-yang in the 'write-in' candidate section. Shen was previously included on the list of die-hard Taiwan independence separatists and was placed under investigation by the Chongqing Public Security Bureau in October 2025.

On November 6, the government of Youxi County, Sanming City, Fujian Province, released a report on the county and township-level People's Congress election work conference. It acknowledged issues such as voter registration omissions and insufficient analysis of electoral districts in some townships, requiring a re-examination of voter registration and the inclusion of those missed. It also demanded that candidates pass a 'political, quality, and structural' joint review and that election publicity strictly control public opinion.

On November 6, the Haidian District of Beijing held elections for district-level People's Congress representatives. In the Beijing Language and Culture University constituency, 11,723 out of 11,745 registered voters cast their ballots, a turnout rate of 99.8%; in the four constituencies of Tsinghua Garden Subdistrict, 45,415 people voted, with an average turnout rate of 99.02%, electing 8 district People's Congress representatives.

East China Normal University issued a notice stating that classes will be suspended across the entire campus on November 16 due to the district-level People's Congress election, sparking public questioning regarding the real power of candidates and students' right to know.

On November 2, East China Normal University issued a notice stating that to facilitate the district-level People's Congress representative election, all classes for students and faculty will be suspended on the morning and afternoon of Monday, November 16.

On October 27, the China Government Procurement Network released a tender announcement stating that the Nanxiang Town Government in Jiading District, Shanghai, intends to purchase 128,910 pure cotton towels for publicity regarding the People's Congress election. The project budget is 1.9361 million yuan, with a maximum price cap of 1.5469 million yuan.

As votes are counted in the Serbian general election, Vucic, who has been in power for 12 years, publicly admits defeat, and the grassroots political newcomer 'Student List' wins a landslide victory.

On the evening of October 25, Serbian President Vučić acknowledged that the Progressive Party coalition he leads lost the snap parliamentary election to the "Student List" backed by the student movement, saying he accepts the results and will now become the opposition.

On October 16, the Election Committee of Junlian County, Yibin, Sichuan, issued a notice stating that on November 4, the day of the county and township people's congress elections, all work, business, production, and classes in the voting areas will be suspended for one day. Government agencies, enterprises, factories, schools, and village communities are required to organize voters to go to polling stations to cast their votes.

On September 27, Vučić resigned early from the presidency of Serbia, originally intending to switch to prime minister through parliamentary elections to continue his rule.

The gubernatorial election in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, has been officially announced, kicking off a 17-day campaign. Voting and vote counting are scheduled for September 13. Incumbent Governor Denny Tamaki is seeking reelection against Genta Koze, backed by the Liberal Democratic Party.

A meeting of the CCP Central Leading Group for Party Building officially announced the completion of the grand screening of the view on political performance, and will use the results as a hard indicator for local leadership transitions.

On August 22, 2026, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection suddenly convened an extraordinary plenary session, with the communiqué incorporating provisions on leadership transition discipline.

NPC Vice Chairperson Li Hongzhong's high-profile inspection of the transition work has been interpreted as an announcement to the entire party that the succession process has begun and power is no longer in Xi Jinping's hands.

On January 23, Zheng Xinxin, Deputy Director of the Xintai Community Residents' Committee in Lanxi Town, Lanxi County, Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province—a CCP member and veteran—real-name reported Party Branch Secretary Li Chunhong. The report alleges issues including drawing a salary without working, excessive unauthorized expenditures, irregular recruitment of Party members, falsification of Party branch meeting records, and illegal manipulation of the re-election process.

On March 10, 2023, the First Session of the 14th National People's Congress elected Xi Jinping as President of the state and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, with 2,952 votes in favor and no votes against or abstentions, beginning his third term as president. Before the 2018 constitutional amendment, the constitution stipulated that the president could serve no more than two consecutive terms.

Sima Nan was elected as a deputy to the Dongcheng District People's Congress in Beijing. When voting on the list of the presidium at the first plenary session, he cast an abstention, and subsequently, after multiple conversations, he gradually changed his attitude and adapted to the system.

In November 2002, the Chinese Communist Party held its 16th National Congress, and Hu Jintao became General Secretary of the CCP Central Committee, but the Standing Committee was expanded from 7 to 9 members, most of whom were from Jiang Zemin's faction, greatly weakening Hu Jintao's political power.