BEIJING - The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Tuesday announced a plan guiding the election of delegates to attend the Party's 18th National Congress, marking the beginning of the election process.

A total of 2,270 delegates will be elected by 40 electoral units across the country. The election will be completed by June next year, according to a statement from the CPC Central Committee.

The statement said the number of candidates should be 15 percent greater than the number of available posts.

The 17th Central Committee of the CPC decided at its sixth plenary session in October that the Party's 18th National Congress would be held  in Beijing in the second half of 2012. The congress typically convenes once every five years.