The countdown to next month’s key Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) began as the ruling party on Sunday announced that all delegates, totalling nearly 2,300, were “elected” for the once-in-a-five year meeting in which President Xi Jinping is widely expected to get endorsed for a record third term.

A total of 2,296 delegates were “elected” to attend the upcoming 20th National Congress of the CPC to be held on October 16, official media reported, citing a statement by the party.

Scotching rumours and speculation over tensions within the ruling party over Xi’s continuation for an unprecedented third term, the statement said that the delegates were elected “under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”, and in accordance with the party’s constitution, adopting methods required by the CPC Central Committee.

Xi, 69, himself was “elected” as a delegate to the Congress in April this year, according to the party’s earlier announcement.

The process upheld the party’s nature and purpose, adhered to and enhanced the party’s overall leadership, and fully embodied intra-party democracy, the statement said.

The Congress, in which Xi is expected to get endorsed for an unprecedented third term, is being held amid a big purge of top security officials, stated to be part of a “political clique” opposed to the Chinese President.

Three security officials were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve this week for corruption, raising eyebrows about the sudden surge of punishments ahead of the Congress.