Before fallen Chongqing Party chief Bo Xilai received a life sentence for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power in September, his sensational trial performance had some contemplating the slim possibility of an eventual comeback: if not in person, The Washington Post’s William Wan wrote, then perhaps as “the defeated but potent spiritual leader of a political faction.”
Reuters’ Benjamin Kang Lim and Ben Blanchard report that Bo supporters have now established a new political party:
The Zhi Xian Party, literally “the constitution is the supreme authority” party, was formed on November 6, three days before the opening of a key meeting of top Communist Party leaders to discuss much-needed economic reforms, the sources said.
It named Bo as “chairman for life”, Wang Zheng, one of the party’s founders and an associate professor of international trade at the Beijing Institute of Economics and Management, told Reuters by telephone.
“This is not illegal under Chinese law. It is legal and reasonable,” Wang said, declining to say how many members the new party has. [Source]
Read more on Bo’s spectacular rise and fall via CDT.
