The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government recently published a package of proposals on the methods for selecting the Chief Executive and for forming the Legislative Council in 2012, setting out detailed proposals for the two electoral methods and summarizing the views collected during the three-month public consultation.

Unveiling the package at the Legislative Council (LegCo) on April 14, Hong Kong Chief Secretary Henry Tang said of the more than 47,200 submissions and 1.6 million signatures received during the consultation period, as well as various opinion poll results, a few common threads were obvious.

He noted there is a common wish to see progress in the 2012 constitutional arrangement. More than 60% of respondents support the key elements concerning the two electoral methods set out in the consultation document and more than half support LegCo’s passage of the government’s proposed package.
 
Chief Executive selection

After carefully analyzing the views received, according to Mr. Tang, the Hong Kong government identified the appropriate point of balance amid the various viewpoints expressed by the community and put forth this latest package. On the method for selecting the Chief Executive, the government proposes to:

• Raise the number of Election Committee members from the current 800 to 1,200.
• Raise the number of members of each of the Election Committee’s four sectors by 100.
• Allocate 75 of the 100 new seats in the political sector to elected District Council members. Adding to the existing 42 seats, the District Council sub-sector will then have 117 seats. Appointed members will not take part in the election. Of the remaining 25 new seats, 10 seats will be allocated to the LegCo, 10 will be allocated to Hong Kong members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and five to Heung Yee Kuk — indigenous inhabitants of the New Territories.
• Maintain the current nomination threshold at the ratio of one-eighth of the Election Committee’s total membership. No upper limit on the number of subscribers should be set at this stage.
• Maintain the requirement that the Chief Executive should not have any political affiliation for the 2012 election — although this may be reviewed in the longer term.

Legislative Council formation

For forming the LegCo, the package proposes to:

• Raise the number of LegCo seats from 60 to 70; 35 seats returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections and 35 by functional constituencies (FCs).
• Return the five new FC seats and the existing District Council FC seat through election by elected District Council members from among themselves.
• Return the six District Council FC seats under the “proportional representation system.”
• Maintain the existing arrangement that Hong Kong permanent residents who are not of Chinese nationality or who have abode rights in foreign countries can stand in the elections for the 12 FC seats.

“The advantage of the package is to inject new democratic elements into the two electoral methods through the participation of elected District Council members who have a broad electorate base,” Mr. Tang said. “In particular, for the LegCo FC elections, no more ‘traditional’ FC seats will be created, and 41 seats, that is, close to 60 percent of all seats, will be returned through direct or indirect geographical elections.”

Mr. Tang added that enhancing District Council members’ participation in the two elections will not transform the councils into organs of political power, nor will it change their powers and functions. District Councils are consultative bodies that advise the government on district affairs.

Noting the consultation revealed significant opinions that the District Council appointment system should be abolished, Mr. Tang said the government adopted an open and constructive attitude toward the abolition. After LegCo passes the proposed election package, it will introduce proposals for the community’s deliberation as soon as possible.

On how the FCs should handled when universal suffrage for the LegCo is implemented, Mr. Tang said the community still has diverse views, and more time is needed to discuss the issue thoroughly and forge consensus.

Because the current Hong Kong government has been authorized by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee to deal only with the 2012 elections, the next-term Hong Kong government will have to follow up on the issue and seriously consider the relevant proposals.
 
Legislative timetable

The Hong Kong government aims to put the motions amending the two electoral methods to a vote before the LegCo recess this summer, starting in mid-July.

“This is to allow sufficient time to complete the reporting to the Standing Committee for approval or record, and to deal with the relevant local legislation between autumn this year and the second quarter of 2011, as well as to put in place the detailed implementation arrangements before the end of 2011,” Mr. Tang said. “As for the specific timing of voting on the two motions, this will depend on the progress of LegCo’s scrutiny of the proposals.”

He stressed that the Hong Kong government had strived for maximum latitude in enhancing the democratic elements of the two elections in 2012 and in paving the way for implementing universal suffrage under the framework of the Standing Committee decision.

“We believe the proposed package stands the best possible chance of being accepted by the majority of the public, the LegCo, the Chief Executive and the Central Authorities, which can allow Hong Kong’s constitutional development to be rolled forward,” Mr. Tang said, adding the package could also determine the directions for attaining universal suffrage. No traditional FC will be created for LegCo, and LegCo’s democratic elements will be further enhanced with all registered voters as the electorate base.

“I sincerely hope [LegCo] members can set aside differences, place the overall interest of the community ahead of personal interests and support our proposed package, which will take forward our democratic development. We firmly believe, if we are willing to exercise our collective wisdom and endeavor, Hong Kong will be able to reach consensus on democratic development and take the city towards attaining universal suffrage according to the principles of universality and equality.”

The Package of Proposals for the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2012 can be found on the Web site [www.cmab-cd2012.gov.hk/].

The proposal highlights can be found on: [www.cmab-cd2012.gov.hk/doc/package/highlights_e.pdf].