People’s Congress Elects a Premier
From Times Wire Reports
China’s parliament elected Wen Jiabao as premier today, placing the world’s sixth-biggest economy in the hands of a man who will need to tackle problems including a sickly banking system and a growing rich-poor gap.
The National People’s Congress, a ceremonial parliament that rubber-stamps decisions by the ruling Communists, elected Wen with 2,906 “yes” votes, three “nos” and 16 abstentions.
Wen, 60, replaces Zhu Rongji, who helped guide China through capitalist-style reforms.
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