At least eight percent of nominees have been eliminated in the preliminary elections for candidates of members and alternate members of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and of members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

The draft name-lists of candidates for members and alternate members of the new CPC Central Committee and of candidates for members of the new CCDI were approved at the third meeting of the presidium of the 18th CPC National Congress on Tuesday morning.

The meeting, presided over by Hu Jintao, decided to submit the draft name-lists to the delegations to the Party congress for deliberation.

The presidium's second meeting on Saturday approved the proposed name-lists of nominees for the candidates of members and alternate members of the 18th CPC Central Committee, and members of the CCDI.

Starting Sunday, delegations had been deliberating on the proposed name-lists.

Delegates held that the proposed name-lists were formed on the basis of full intra-Party democracy. The overall structure of the lists was reasonable and the nominees have fine ethical and political quality, outstanding work performance and high public support.

On Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, all delegations held meetings and carried out preliminary elections for candidates of members of the new Central Committee and of members of the new CCDI, as well as for candidates of alternate members of the CPC Central Committee.

The preliminary elections were competitive with elimination margins of more than eight percent.

The preliminary elections were conducted under the supervision of scrutineers in accordance with the election methods adopted at the congress. The results of the preliminary elections are valid, according to the presidium's third meeting.

On Tuesday afternoon, the delegations will hold meetings to mull over the draft name-lists of candidates for members and alternate members of the new CPC Central Committee and the new CCDI.

A formal election will be held on Wednesday morning.

According to the CPC Constitution, the election procedure in which the number of candidates nominated is greater than the number of persons to be elected may be used directly in a formal election or this procedure may be used first in a preliminary election in order to draw up a list of candidates for the formal election.

The CPC adopted a preliminary election system at its eighth national congress in 1956. At the 13th national congress in 1987, it began to follow a competitive election system at preliminary elections.

The elimination margins at preliminary elections for candidates of members of the 16th Central Committee and the 16th CCDI, conducted in 2002, were about five percent, while the ratios expanded to more than eight percent at the 17th CPC National Congress in 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency November 13, 2012)