China Scraps Presidential Term Limits, Clearing Way for Xi’s Indefinite Rule

China’s parliament voted to repeal presidential term limits, allowing President Xi Jinping to keep power indefinitely in a formal break from succession rules set up after Mao Zedong’s turbulent rule.

All but five of the almost 3,000 National People’s Congress deputies present Sunday supported the measure to strike a constitutional provision barring the president from serving more than two consecutive terms. The amendment -- announced by the Communist Party two weeks ago -- removes the only barrier keeping Xi, 64, from staying on after his expected second term ends in 2023.