The country is ruled by the Communist Party of China (CPC), whose power is enshrined in China's constitution.[148] The Chinese electoral system is hierarchical, whereby local People's Congresses are directly elected, and all higher levels of People's Congresses up to the National People's Congress (NPC) are indirectly elected by the People's Congress of the level immediately below.[149] The political system is decentralized, and provincial and sub-provincial leaders have a significant amount of autonomy.[150] There are other political parties in China, referred to in China as democratic parties, which participate in the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).