The Communist Party of China (CCP) [party website] Central Committee on Sunday announced [Xinhua report] plans to abolish the presidential term limits, which would permit President Xi Jinping to stay in office indefinitely.

The CCP proposed removing Article 79 from China’s constitution [text], which states “[t]he term of office of the President and Vice-President of the People’s Republic of China … shall serve no more than two consecutive terms.” The CCP also proposed inserting Xi’s official ideological framework entitled “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” [text] into the constitution, which has already been adopted in the CPC Constitution [text].

The proposal will be considered by the National People’s Congress [official website] in March.