The end is near: Part 2

The end is so near, yet so far.

The EGM is over, but it looks like we will have to wait till Thursday to watch the final chapter of the great Chinese saga.

Today was a really eventful day as one dramatic moment followed another. First the Press were not allowed to attend the EGM, then they were told of a recount which meant the difference was only 1 per cent.

Finally in the afternoon it was formally announced that the party president had lost the vote of no confidence by 14 votes while at the same time the deputy president was not reinstated. That was the kind of result that the so-called "third force" in the party had wanted.

Later, the secretary-general announced that the Central Committee will meet on Thursday to discuss the outcome of the EGM.

Suddenly there is talk there would be some legal tangle as the party's constitution says a president can only be kicked out by two-thirds of the delegates and not by a simple majority.

But the president had told the whole world that he would leave if he lost by a simple majority. We will have to wait till Thursday to find out if the president will keep his word.

There is also talk that the president, who now no longer enjoys the confidence of the majority of the delegates, may pull the presidential council down with him as he had already announced that the decision to sack the deputy was a collective decision.