Article 73 Deputies to the National People's Congress, when the Congress is in session, and members of the
National People's Congress Standing Committee, when the Standing Committee is meeting, shall have the
power, in accordance with procedures prescribed by law, to submit inquiries to the State Council or the
ministries and commissions under it. Organs that receive such inquiries must take responsibility for
answering them.
Article 74 Deputies to the National People's Congress shall not be arrested or placed on criminal trial without
the consent of the presidium of the current session of the National People's Congress or, when the Congress
is out of session, the consent of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.
Article 75 The statements and votes of National People's Congress deputies at meetings of the National
People's Congress shall not be subject to legal liability.
Article 76 Deputies to the National People's Congress must play an exemplary role in abiding by the
Constitution and the law and keeping state secrets and, in the production, work and public activities they
participate in, assist in the enforcement of the Constitution and the law.
Deputies to the National People's Congress should maintain close contact with the organizations and people
that elected them, listen to and convey the opinions and demands of the people, and work hard to serve
them.
Article 77 Deputies to the National People's Congress shall be subject to the oversight of the organizations
that elected them. Organizations that have elected deputies shall have the power to remove them from
office in accordance with procedures prescribed by law.
Article 78 The organization and working procedures of the National People's Congress and the National
People's Congress Standing Committee shall be prescribed by law.
Section 2 The President of the People's Republic of China
Article 79 The president and the vice president of the People's Republic of China shall be elected by the
National People's Congress.
Citizens of the People's Republic of China who have the right to vote and stand for election and who have
reached the age of 45 are eligible for election as president or vice president of the People's Republic of
China.
The president and the vice president of the People's Republic of China shall have the same term of office as
that of the National People's Congress.
Article 80 The president of the People's Republic of China, pursuant to decisions of the National People's
Congress and the National People's Congress Standing Committee, promulgates laws, appoints or removes
the premier, vice premiers, state councilors, ministers of ministries, ministers of commissions, the auditor
general and the secretary general of the State Council, confers national medals and titles of honor, issues
orders of special pardon, declares a state of emergency, declares a state of war, and issues mobilization
orders.
Article 81 The president of the People's Republic of China engages in affairs of state and receives foreign
diplomatic envoys on behalf of the People's Republic of China and, pursuant to decisions of the National
People's Congress Standing Committee, appoints or recalls plenipotentiary representatives abroad and
ratifies or abrogates treaties and important agreements concluded with foreign countries.
Article 82 The vice president of the People's Republic of China shall assist the president in his or her work.
The vice president of the People's Republic of China may, when so entrusted by the president, exercise part
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