Special Report: NPC, CPPCC Annual Sessions 2008

    BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The leadership of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) will be elected Thursday afternoon at the 4th plenary meeting of the national advisory body's annual session in Beijing.

    The leadership will include chairman, vice-chairpersons, secretary-general and Standing Committee members.

    The candidate namelist for top leaders of the CPPCC was finalized Wednesday afternoon and is ready for election at Thursday's meeting.

    The CPPCC is a patriotic united front organization of the Chinese people, serving as a key mechanism for multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and a major manifestation of socialist democracy.

    The CPPCC consists of representatives of the CPC and non-Communist parties, personages without party affiliation, and representatives of people's organizations, ethnic minorities and various social strata.

    It also has the representation of compatriots of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, returned overseas Chinese, and specially invited people.