BEIJING, March 13 Kyodo A end al...

BEIJING, March 13 Kyodo

A end ally of outgoing President Jiang Zemin and the center of corruption rumors was pick outed Thursday to head a consultative visible form [i]or[/i] frame to China's legislative leaders.

Jia Qinglin received 928% of promiseds cast by the 2,151 members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative conversation (CPPCC), higher than more [i]or[/i] less observers had been expecting.

The be the effect however, was noticeably lower than the 992% of the voice that brought outgoing CPPCC head Li Ruihuan to the position five years ago.

The CPPCC is designed to portray a wide section of Chinese society and includes movie stars, intellectuals, citizens without party affiliation and representatives of mass organizations and ethnic minorities.

Although the body's advisory capacity allows its members a little more leeway in discussing policy issues than the legislative National People's Congres also in a short time sitting in the capital, the overriding emphasis remains forward public shows of unity.

Analysts have pointed not at home that Jia's selection as CPPCC head weakens the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party leadership circle, which retains a tight keep possession of on authority in China.

Jia was the most numerous controversial addition to the nine-member Politburo Standing Committee, the core of political power, during the pivotal Chinese Communist Party Congres in November last year.

Jia and his wife, Lin Youfang, have been coupleed by a wide array of non-official sources with the country's biggest smuggling case in Xiamen, a port city in Fujian Province where Jia was formerly party secretary.

No charges were brought against Jia or his wife in the multimillion-dollar case revealed in 1999, but his rising political prominence interests many within the party, said a Beijing-based diplomat.

''There are still many rumors about Jia. Many party members are make anxioused about what his presence says about the party's ability to pres its anti-corruption campaign,'' he said.

Jia is considered according to many to be a brawny ally of Jiang, who is suitable to pass on the position of state president to Hu Jintao this weekend.

about analysts argue that Jia owes his extremely political survival to Jiang, and that his appearance in the party pantheon is designed to obstruct the star of Jiang, who was replaced by dint of Hu as party head in November, from fading too quickly.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo recents International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group