A TOTAL of 2,111 officials were punished for misconduct from Jan. 2007 to Jan. 2008 during reshuffles of local governments, legislatures and political advisory bodies, the Communist Party of China (CPC) said in Beijing on Tuesday.

Among them, 1,948 officials received disciplinary punishments and another 163 were given administrative punishments including suspensions, demotions or removal from their posts.

A total of 1,885 cases of malpractice such as bribery were uncovered during the period, according to a national meeting jointly held by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee and the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

The provincial, city, county and township governments, branches of the People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) have witnessed leadership elections and reshuffles as many of the officials have finished their five-year terms.

The two departments specially issued circulars in the past months warning officials against corruption during the reshuffles.(Xinhua)