China replaces members of regional legislature over fraud

BEIJING – Nearly 450 people have been elected to a Chinese provincial legislature one month after allegations of electoral fraud led to the removal of most of the legislature’s members.

State media reported Saturday that elections this week added 447 deputies to the Liaoning Provincial People’s Congress, which nominally oversees a northeastern China province that borders North Korea, though all key decisions are made by the ruling Communist Party. The provincial congress now has 594 deputies.

Officials announced in September the disqualification of 523 deputies. Forty-five deputies representing Liaoning were also expelled from China’s national legislature.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has made fighting corruption a hallmark of his administration in an effort to bolster his party’s legitimacy amid widespread public discontent over graft.