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How selection of China's new leadership works By The Associated Press China's communist elite are meeting to install a new generation of lead- ers in a process that is part public show and part backroom politicking. At the center of the spectacle is the Commu- nist Party congress, a gathering held once every five years that is the 18th such event in the party's history. The congress is more interlude than cli- max. Important decisions are made by current and retired leaders, some of whom are not even on the congress delegates' roster, in bargaining that began years ago and has largely been already resolved. Here's a look at how it works: THE DELEGATES Selecting delegates to the congress began months ago, with recom- mendations made by the party's 82 million mem- bers, which are then vet- ted, winnowed and voted on twice. In practice, the selection is controlled by the party's personnel divi- sion, giving the leadership room to make sure the powerful and their key proteges are included. President Hu Jintao, who will retire as party general secretary, is a delegate from Jiangsu province, where he grew up but has not lived for four decades. Most of the 2,268 dele- gates are chosen to show that the congress is broad- ly representative. Only the opinions of a small subset matter. One power-broker, retired President Jiang Zemin, is a specially invited delegate, a sign of his continuing influence in the leadership bargain- ing. THE CONGRESS Held over seven days, the congress selects the Central Committee, the party's policy-setting body. The most recent committee had 370 peo- ple, comprised of full members and non-voting alternates drawn from the upper echelons of the party, government and military. The congress also names the party's internal watchdog agency. Though the powerful hold sway in determining the outcome, there is room for dissent on the mar- gins. Candidates outnum- ber seats by a tiny per- centage. Vice President Xi Jinping, who is expect- ed to replace Hu as party chief, barely made it into the committee in 1997 in what was seen as a vote against nepotism. His father was a patriarch of the revolution. This time rank-and-file delegates have been told to ''main- tain unity'' with the lead- ership. THE LEADERSHIP After the congress ends, the Central Com- mittee meets to select a Politburo, roughly 25 members, and from that group, the Politburo Standing Committee, the apex of power. The cur- rent standing committee has nine members, though party-connected academics say that may be whittled to seven this time. Two members are considered shoo-ins: Xi Friday, November 9, 2012 – Daily News Calif. mayoral candidate and Vice Premier Li Keqiang, who is expect- ed to be named premier. The Central Committee also appoints the party commission that over- sees the military. A criti- cal question is whether Hu will stay as military commission head. His predecessor, Jiang, did so, hanging on for more than two years and cast- ing a shadow over Hu's efforts to consolidate power. THE BACKSTORY Choosing the new leaders involves fractious CARE TO COMMENT? At redbluffdailynews.com, scroll to the end of any story, click the link and type away. bargaining that attempts to balance out factions and interest groups in the party. Two of the pre- sumed next leaders, Xi and Li, were anointed five years ago, inducted into Hu's leadership to provide continuity. Xi is seen as ex-president Jiang's man; Li as Hu's. Deciding the rest of the lineup has seen unexpectedly sharp- elbowed jostling this year. Bo Xilai, a populist politi- cian seen as a rising star, was cashiered after an aide disclosed that his wife murdered a British businessman. He awaits prosecution, and deciding his fate divided the lead- ership. A Hu ally was also sidelined after his son died in a Ferrari crash, weakening Hu. How weak will be apparent by counting his allies in the new leadership. HIDDEN RULES China, like most com- munist governments, has a history of violent, unpredictable leadership successions. One of revo- lutionary leader Mao Zedong's named succes- sors died in an alleged failed coup. Party leaders have instituted informal age and term limits to smooth out power trans- fers. Party chiefs are lim- ited to two five-year terms, while senior lead- ers 68 years or older at the time of a congress are considered too old to serve in a new leadership. Jiang's stepping aside for Hu in 2002 was the first orderly succession since the party came to power in 1949. 3B arrested on Election Day PASO ROBLES (AP) — A Central Coast candidate for mayor lost big this week. Paso Robles write-in candidate Jeff Rougeot was arrested on Election Day for investigation of crimes that include felonies for making criminal threats and brandishing a firearm. The 45-year-old car audio business owner remained in the San Luis Obispo County jail Thursday with bail at $1.1 million. Besides the felonies, The Tribune of San Luis Obis- po says Rougeot was booked for investigation of four misdemeanors for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and four violations of a court order involving domestic violence. Rougeot doesn't have an attorney of record, and a telephone call Thursday to his car stereo business rang unanswered. Mayor Duane Picanco got 86 percent of the vote to easily defeat Rougeot and another candidate. Mass. town's vote count REHOBOTH, Mass. (AP) — It wasn't hanging chads or voter fraud that delayed the vote count in one Massachusetts town — it was a spider. Rehoboth (ruh-HOH'-buth) Town Clerk Kathleen Conti says one of the town's aging voting machines malfunctioned Tuesday morning. Fraud? No, spider delays She called a technician, who said a spider web apparently prevented the machine's scanner from counting ballots. Conti tells The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro all Rehoboth's voting machines received pre- ventive maintenance a month ago. The vote count wasn't completed until Wednesday afternoon. Rehoboth voters favored Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney and incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, but went for Democratic U.S. House candidate Joseph Kennedy III. Rehoboth, with about 12,000 residents, is about 50 miles southwest of Boston. of pot in traffic stop MADRAS, Ore. (AP) — Oregon State Police say a trooper who stopped a pickup truck for a speeding vio- lation in central Oregon found about 56 pounds of mar- ijuana in the vehicle. Lt. Gregg Hastings says the marijuana and oxy- codone tablets recovered Sunday have a combined street value of about $43,000. John Stonebarger of Fall River Mills was arrest- Ore. police seize 56 pounds Conti says she has been pressing to have the machines replaced for several years. ed for investigation of unlawful possession, distrib- ution and manufacture of a controlled substance. The police spokesman says Stonebarger was also driving with a suspended California license when he was stopped on U.S. Highway 97 south of Madras. Every picture tells a story. http://dfm-ssp.medianewsgroup.com Visit dfm-ssp.medianewsgroup.com throughout the day. See photojournalism at its best. Bookmark dfm-ssp.medianewsgroup.com today. If every picture is worth a thousand words, the dfm-ssp.medianewsgroup.com Media Center will take your breath away. Filled with images from across America and the globe, our Media Center is constantly updated to showcase the best in photojournalism. 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