The Communist Party of China (CPC) has reshuffled more than half of Central Committee members elected during the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, moving them to different positions or removing them from their current jobs, ahead of the CPC's fifth plenary session on Monday, Oct. 26, the Global Times reported.
The report said that the large-scale reorganization, extremely rare in the CPC's history, is a result of the anti-graft campaign, which was conducted to ensure a solid start to China's new five-year blueprint amid a slowing economy.
According to the WeChat account operated by the Beijing Daily, about 104 out of the total 205 CPC Central Committee members have been promoted, demoted or expelled from their positions since 2012.
Among these members, 81 were promoted to key positions, 16 were transferred to less important posts, and seven were removed from their jobs.
Experts said that some seven members may be revoked during the fifth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, which will run until Thursday, Oct 29.
Personnel reshuffle has drawn public attention since the anti-graft campaign was launched in 2012, the report said.
"The large-scale reshuffle helped select leaders of both action and bravery, as China needs such leaders to tackle the economic problems and ensure a strong start during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period," Zhang Xixian, a professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, told the Global Times.
The plenary session will be presided over by President Xi Jinping, secretary-general of the CPC Central Committee, where the agenda include a discussion of the 13th Five-Year Plan.
Ren Jianming, professor at the School of Public Policy and Management at Beijing's Tsinghua University, said that the reshuffle will also pave the way for a smooth transition in government leadership starting from 2016.
Seven CPC Central Committee members have been removed from their position since the anti-graft campaign. They include Ling Jihua, former head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee; Zhou Benshun, the former Party chief of North China's Hebei Province; and Yang Dongliang, former director of the State Administration of Work Safety.