| Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party | |
| Pic: | Front cover of Constitution of the Communist Party of China 2007 (cropped).jpg |
| Piccap: | Front cover of the Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party |
| Order: | st |
| P: | Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhāngchéng |
The Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party has 55 articles and its contents describe the program of the party, as well as its organizational structure and party symbolism.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s 1945 constitution described Mao Zedong Thought as the party's working compass.[1] It also discusses democracy in the context of New Democracy.
The constitution adopted during April 1969 at the CCP's 9th National Congress named Lin Biao as Mao Zedong's "close comrade in arms and successor".[2]
The constitution currently in force was adopted at the CCP's 12th National Congress in September 1982. In accordance with the changing situation and tasks, revisions were made in some of the articles at the 13th National Congress in November 1987 and in the General Program and some of the articles at the 14th National Congress in October 1992, and a few revisions were made in the General Program at the 16th National Congress of the CCP in November 2002. The constitution can be amended once every five years.[3]
The 1992 revision of the constitution noted the importance of policy experimentation, incorporating language that the CCP "must boldly experiment with new methods, ... review new experience and solve new problems, and enrich and develop Marxism in practice."[4]
In March 2004, the Three Represents were written into the constitution.[5] In 2012, the concept of ecological civilization building was added to the constitution.[6]
The CCP's 19th National Congress in October 2017 ratified amendments including the incorporation of Xi Jinping Thought. Xi Jinping thus became the first leader since Deng Xiaoping to append his name into party ideology; the change also led to many international media outlets calling Xi the "most powerful leader since Mao."[7] The Belt and Road Initiative was also added to the party constitution.[8] [9]
The CCP's 20th National Congress in October 2022 saw several amendments to the party constitution. Additions included opposition to Taiwan independence,[10] developing a "fighting spirit" and strengthening fighting ability, as well as additions of goals related to Xi, including gradually achieving common prosperity, promoting Chinese-style modernization and developing a "broader, fuller and more robust" whole-process people's democracy. The status of Xi and the CCP were further strengthened with the amendments, with the amended constitution naming the CCP as the "supreme political leadership force". The Two Upholds was added, thereby cementing the "core" status of Xi Jinping.[11]
The constitution states that Marxism–Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought are the party's official ideology. The constitution emphasizes the party's role in promoting socialist democracy, in developing and strengthening a socialist legal system, and in consolidating public resolve to carry out the modernization program.
The constitution states that the interests of the people and the party are paramount over the interests of party members.[12] The constitution states that in emergencies and urgent situations, members are encouraged to contribute to special funds (as in the case of the special fund for the 2008 Sichuan earthquake).
Since 1945, the party's constitution has defined the party's view of democratic centralism as "centralism based on democracy and democracy under centralized leadership." Academic Jean-Pierre Cabestan writes that this approach defines and limits democracy within the party, indicating that central leadership prevails over the rights of party members to challenge leadership.