Abolition of the presidency in China

The dispute over the abolition of the presidency of the People's Republic of China (formerly called Chairman of the PRC in the 1954 Constitution) led to a broader power struggle between Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, and Marshal Lin Biao, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, the Defense Minister and Mao's appointed successor along with some members of the 9th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party during the middle of the Cultural Revolution. This dispute was later interpreted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as evidence that Lin Biao had tried to usurp the party and seize power.

Beginning in March 1970, during the discussion of the 1970 Draft Constitution of China, Mao proposed abolishing the state presidency, which was opposed by many party leaders including Lin Biao. Some members of the 9th Central Committee supported restoring the ceremonial position with Mao taking up the post once again which he had relinquished in 1959. The dispute came to a head at the Second Plenary Session in Lushan in August 1970, where intense factional strife had led Mao to conclude that a political conspiracy led by Lin was underway and led to the purging of chief political theorist Chen Boda, who had supported Lin. Under Mao's orders, the presidency would be abolished. However, the relationship between Lin and Mao began to deteriorate.

The feud simmered into 1971, with Lin Biao refusing to make any self-criticism. Mao concluded that Lin was politically unreliable and began to made plans to purge him. Lin's son, Lin Liguo, an officer in the PLA Air Force, fearing that they would be purged next, allegedly began to make plans to overthrow Mao in a coup d'état, which would later be known as Project 571. While Mao was on a tour in Southern China in September 1971, he publicly accused Lin of trying to overthrow him for the first time. Lin Liguo decided to execute the operation, which eventually failed. On September 12, as Mao safely returned to Beijing, Lin and his family decided to flee to Guangzhou or to the Soviet Union. In the middle of the night, they boarded a plane and fled China, but the plane ran out of fuel and crashed in Mongolia, killing everyone on board.

After Lin Biao's defection, the preparatory work for the 4th National People's Congress was suspended and the process of constitutional amendment was interrupted. In 1975, the 1975 Constitution of China adopted by the 4th National People's Congress formally abolished this position.

After Mao's death, the CCP continued to use the argument that the events at the Second Plenum Session at Lushan proved that Lin was guilty of plotting to overthrow Mao. The presidency was eventually restored in 1982.