Every March, China's National People's Congress convenes. The constitution calls it the highest government body, and yet, its members have never voted down a bill from the country's leaders.
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Self-confidence and assertiveness are not words generally associated with China's highest legislative body. When the National People's Congress (NPC) convenes in March security is tighter than usual around the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Thousands of extra police are on duty to ensure a smooth and undisrupted meeting of the 3,000 deputies that make up the world's largest parliament.
China's National People's Congress
Once a year, about 3,000 Chinese people's representatives attend the National People's Congress - the highest state body in the People's Republic. This year will see the formation of a new government.
Image: China Photos/Getty Images
The world's biggest parliament
The National People’s Congress (NPC) of China serves as the country's parliament and takes place annually in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The people choose the representatives who serve at the lower level directly. This lower level, in turn, elects the representatives at the next highest level to the NPC, with about 3,000 members. The NPC membership is elected for a five-year period.
Image: Reuters
'Army of hand raisers'
It is a commonly held opinion among the public that the people's representatives only take part in the congress to give their approval to decisions that have already been made. Because voting once took place with a show of hands, the NPC is often derided as the "Army of hand-raisers." Nowadays, voting takes place using electronic apparatus. Votes in favor make up some 90 percent of the total.
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Representing the people
This year, the NPC begins on March 5. The current legislative period is coming to an end. The leadership change is to be decided. The duties of the NPC are laid out in the constitution. Among them are making amendments to the constitution and the election and removal of the president, prime minister and ministers. In addition, the representatives are supposed to represent the will of the people.
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Birth of a constitution
The first session of the NPC took place under the leadership of the founder of the People's Republic Mao Zedong in Beijing in September 1954. It was then the Chinese constitution was adopted. The 14th Dalai Lama (first from right) and the 10th Panchen Lama (second from right), the highest religious leaders of Tibet also took part. They were invited as representatives of the Tibetan people.
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From honored guest to 'traitor'
After the Tibetan uprising in 1959, in which thousands of Tibetan monks rose up against their Chinese occupation only to be suppressed by force, the Dalai Lama had to flee to India. To this day, Beijing talks of "an armed rebellion of Tibetans against the Chinese government." Since then, the Dalai Lama has been considered a traitor and separatist in China.
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Among the youngest
While the Dalai Lama had to go into exile, the Panchen Lama continued to be a people's representative at the NPC. His religious successor, the 11th Panchen Lama, is today, at the age of 22, one of the youngest representatives.
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Tight security in Tiananmen
The NPC lasts for about two weeks and, while in session, there is strict security. The hall is located on Tiananmen Square, where visitors and passers-by have to put up with much more frequent ID and bag checks than usual.
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All a little too tiring…
While the security forces work in the square outside, there appears to be little of interest going on inside. It's not difficult for a mischievous photographer to find subjects who have fallen fast asleep.
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From rising star to suspected criminal
Even the former party chief in the city of Chongqing apparently had to battle with fatigue. This picture is from the last NPC. Could he have known then that one year later he would have been arrested on grounds of misuse of office and corruption?
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The outgoing premier
After the last NPC, outgoing Prime Minister Wen Jiabao held a press conference in front of both Chinese and foreign journalists. It was the last such conference of his period in office. Responding to questions from journalists, Wen clearly indicated that the Chinese government would take the unfolding political scandal in Chongqing seriously.
Image: Reuters
Presidential promises
At the 18th Communist Party Congress in November, 2012, delegates decided upon who should be their new party chairman. Xi Jinping (right) is also to become China's head of state. Xi has stressed several times that he will make the fight against corruption a focus of his agenda. Since then, several high-ranking party officials have been dismissed for corruption or for having extramarital affairs.
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New era
The outgoing president announced last year that he would be giving up all his official duties. It is expected that Xi Jinping (left) will be officially chosen as the new president at the NPC, as well as the commander-in-chief of the country's vast army. Serving Deputy Prime Minister Li Keqiang will become the new prime minister.
Image: Reuters
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But size isn't everything, and in this case, does not automatically translate into power. China's legislators don't have much to say in the decision-making process.
What laws and other measures are implemented in the Middle Kingdom are dictated by the leaders of the Communist party.
The legislative period lasts five years in China and the plenary session of the NPC is from March 5-17 this year.
The agenda for the deputies is a marathon of voting to fill key positions, such as the office of president, the National Council, the chief justice of the Supreme Court and the attorney general. The change of leadership, which began last November at the 18th party congress, will then be completed.
No surprises are expected. In its entire history, the NPC has never rejected a law, draft proposal, audit, accountability report, or personnel decision from the country's leadership.
Career deputies
The reason for this is that the deputies are not directly elected by the people. Even if it is called the National People's Congress, the representatives are hand-picked at the provincial level by party stalwarts.
Shen Jilan has attended every party congress since 1954Image: globalgujaratnews.com
The 2,987 parliamentarians for the new legislative period through 2018 were already "elected" in January.
Once again among them is Shen Jilan. The 84-year-old has been a NPC member since the body's inception in 1954 and she is the only person alive today to have attended every party congress.
Shen is also known for her 2010 pronouncement that she has never voted 'no.' This covers the time of the infamous Cultural Revolution, as well as the reform polices of later years. Her reasoning: As a deputy you should obey the party. Former president, Jiang Zemin, once called Shen Jilan a "national treasure."
Dream results
Most of the time, votes in the NPC end with very high approval ratings.
The PNC is essentially just a rubber stamp for the decisions of party leadersImage: AP
One example: During the nomination process for outgoing president, Hu Jintao, in 2008 there were 2,956 'yes' votes, three 'no' votes and five abstentions - an approval rating of more than 99 percent.
Even minimal resistance to the party line is a rare bird in the NPC, but something akin to it did occur in 1992.
During a vote to approve the construction of the controversial Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River only 67 percent of the deputies voted in favor of the project. Despite the two-thirds majority, it was a slap in the face for the sitting prime minister, Li Peng.
