447 new lawmakers confirmed in Liaoning after by-election

SHENYANG -- A total of 447 new provincial legislators have been confirmed following by-elections in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, according to a preparatory panel established to prepare for a new session of the provincial legislature.

The second meeting of the preparatory panel on Friday confirmed the qualifications of the new deputies to the 12th Liaoning Provincial People's Congress. The new legislators were elected Tuesday and Wednesday in 14 cities in the province.

The 12th Liaoning Provincial People's Congress now has 594 deputies.

The by-elections for lawmakers were carried out in Liaoning after an election fraud scandal in January 2013 that implicated 523 deputies to the Liaoning Provincial People's Congress. They either resigned or had their qualification as deputies terminated.

Forty-five national lawmakers from Liaoning were disqualified due to the fraud.

The second session of the preparatory panel stressed the purification of the political environment in Liaoning in order to strive for rejuvenation of the old industrial base.