Details of 2017 HK election unveiled
Print Edition
THE Hong Kong government yesterday unveiled a constitutional reform package designed for the election of the special administrative region’s next top leader by universal suffrage in 2017.
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam announced the “one person, one vote” chief executive election package in front of lawmakers at the Legislative Council (LegCo).
Earlier, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying had said that “today is an important milestone for Hong Kong’s democratic development.”
Leung said the package was in line with the Hong Kong Basic Law and China’s top legislature’s decision on August 31 last year, and he hoped Hong Kong society, including LegCo members, could support the package to realize universal suffrage.
Outlining the details to lawmakers, Lam said that under the government’s proposals, the city’s 5 million eligible voters could choose from up to three candidates in 2017.
But she said the power to select candidates would remain in the hands of a 1,200-member nominating committee which will be from four sectors consisting of 38 sub-sectors similar to the committee that elected the current chief executive in 2012.
Lam said the reforms would allow for up to 10 possible candidates to be shortlisted by the panel, which would then winnow the number down to three in a secret ballot.
In general, the nominating procedures prior to a public vote should be divided into two stages, namely the stage of “members recommendation” and the stage of “committee nomination.”
First, a potential candidate could be recommended by at least 120 and at most 240 members of the nominating committee, and each nominating committee member could only recommend one person. Therefore, at least five and at most 10 people would come out to seek nomination.
Second, the nominating committee should finally select two to three chief executive candidates through a secret ballot. Each nominating committee member may vote for at least two people seeking nomination. The two to three people with the highest number of endorsements by more than half of all nominating committee members will become official candidates.
After that, all 5 million eligible Hong Kong voters may elect the chief executive-elect from the two to three candidates through “one person, one vote” using a first-past-the-post system.
According to the five-step procedure of Hong Kong’s constitutional reform, such a proposed universal suffrage package must be endorsed by at least two-thirds of all LegCo members before Leung gives his consent and the top legislature gives final approval.
“Today, the government sincerely puts forth specific proposals that have been formulated on the basis of public aspirations as well as the overall and long-term interests of the Hong Kong community,” Lam said.
Whether Hong Kong’s constitutional development can move forward or will suffer a standstill is now in the hands of every LegCo member, Lam said, calling on all members to examine the package as soon as possible.
“This is a call made on you by this era and it is history which places this responsibility on your shoulders,” Lam said, adding that she hoped the lawmakers could complete the voting procedures before LegCo’s summer recess.
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