China’s National People’s Congress [official website], overwhelmingly approved numerous amendments [materials, in Mandarin] to the Chinese Constitution [materials] on Sunday, eliminating presidential term-limits and strengthening the Communist Party of China’s (CCP) [official website] role in the state’s governance.

The largely symbolic parliament voted 2,958 out of 2,963 in favor of the constitutional amendments, paving the way for President Xi Jinping [BBC profile] to remain in power indefinitely. The parliament amended Article 79, paragraph 3 of the Constitution from

“The term of office of the chairman and vice chairman of the People’s Republic of China shall be the same as the term of office of each session of the National People’s Congress, and shall not serve more than two consecutive terms.” … [to] “The People’s Republic of China The term of office of the chairman and vice chairman shall be the same as the term of office of each session of the National People’s Congress.” [Google Translation]

The constitution was also amended to recognize the new political philosophy of “Xi Jinping Thought.” These amendments were passed the next legislative session after the CCP amended [JURIST report] the party’s constitution [USC backgrounder] last year and largely mirrors the changes that were made then.