Bo Xilai for President?

Bo Xilai is embraced by the Chinese public, but his naked ambition and widespread appeal clearly scare the party elite.

Named “Man of the Year” in a 2009 online poll conducted by newspaper People’s Daily, Bo Xilai is considered a rising political star in China. Following a stint as the Commerce Secretary of China; he now has the top job in the southwestern city of Chongqing, the largest China’s provincial municipality.

Bo was catapulted to fame by the success of the anti-mafia operation in Chongqing city. His popularity could pave the way for the next generation of China’s leaders to behave in a Western way, that is more open and less rigid.

Between June 2009 and February 2010, the Chongqing Public Security cracked 32,771 criminal cases and made 9,512 arrests; 65 of which results in individuals being sentenced to either death or life inprisionment.