Delegates to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) elected a 127- member Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) at the closing session on Sunday.

There were 121 members in the CCDI for the 16th CPC Central Committee.

Before the election of the CCDI, a new central committee of the Party was elected at the closing session of the congress, including 204 members and 167 alternate members.

The congress also endorsed the incorporation of the scientific outlook on development into the Party Constitution.

Zeng Qinghong, Wu Guanzheng and Luo Gan, members of the previous politburo standing committee, were not in the central committee, while Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin and Li Changchun have secured seats.

As is customary, the new central committee will hold its first plenary session the following day of the conclusion of the Party congress.

According to the CPC Constitution, the plenum elects the central committee's general secretary, members and alternate members of its political bureau, and members of the political bureau standing committee. The general secretary shall be chosen from political bureau standing committee members.

The CPC reviewed more than 43,300 members for recommendation to candidacy to the 17th CPC central leadership.

The Party members who were under review to the 17th CPC Central Committee and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection were 43.4 percent more than those for the 16th CPC central leadership five years ago.

The investigation teams dispatched to various regions and departments talked to about 130,000 Party cadres and ordinary people, collecting recommendation, appraisal and judgment from them.

The number of nominees for the CCDI candidates was 138, or 11 more than the seats. The ratio between the margin and number of seats stood at 8.7 percent.

The number of nominees for the 17th CPC Central Committee was 221, or 17 more than the seats. The ratio between the margin and number of seats stood at 8.3 percent.

Both ratios were higher than those of five years ago, which stood at around 5 percent.

The increased three-strong percentage points "is a democratic step that would push forward socialist democracy with momentum and exemplary effect," said Professor Cai Changshui with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2007)