2014–2015 Hong Kong electoral reform: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 18:37, 6 January 2014
The 2014 Hong Kong electoral reform is an ongoing public consultation put forth by the Hong Kong government on the electoral reform on the 2017 Chief Executive election and the 2016 Legislative Council elections.
Background
The electoral method of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong (CE) and Legislative Council (LegCo) has been a long debated issues in Hong Kong since the Sino-British Joint Declaration in December 1984. The Annex I of the Joint Declaration states that the chief executive shall be selected by election or through consultations and the legislature of the HKSAR shall be constituted by elections.[1] In the Hong Kong Basic Law promulgated in 1990, the ultimate aim of selecting the Chief Executive and all members of the Legislative Council by way of universal suffrage is guaranteed respectively in Article 45 and Article 68.
The pro-democracy camp which had about 60% of the popular vote in the LegCo elections has been urged for the universal suffrage for CE and LegCo since the 1990s. There are also thousands of Hong Kong people showed up at the annual July 1 marches demanding genuine democracy as promised in the Basic Law.
In July 2007 the Donald Tsang administration published the Green Paper on Constitutional Development to consult the pubic on the options, roadmap, and timetable for implementing universal suffrage. In December 2007, Donald Tsang submitted a report to the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC). Following that, the NPCSC made the decision that provides:[2]
The election of the fifth Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the year 2017 may be implemented by the method of universal suffrage, that after the Chief Executive is selected by universal suffrage, the election of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region may be implemented by the method of electing all members by universal suffrage.
The NPCSC Decision rules out the universal suffrage in the 2012 CE election and 2012 LegCo Election but on the other hand provides the possibility of universal suffrage for CE in 2017 and LegCo in 2020.
Issues
Love the country and love Hong Kong
On 24 March 2013, Qiao Xiaoyang, chairman of the Law Committee under the National People's Congress Standing Committee stated that chief executive candidates must be persons who love the country and love Hong Kong, who do not insist on confronting the central government. Observers stated that Qiao comment was to screen out candidates from the opposition pro-democracy camp.[3]
Li Fei, Qiao's successor as chairman of the NPCSC Law Committee stressed the similar statement on 22 November 2013, "the chief executive is accountable to the central government as well as Hong Kong. This means that the post must be taken up by a person who loves the country as well as Hong Kong - anyone opposed to the central government cannot [take it]."[4]
Public nomination
Some pan-democrats also demand the right of Hong Kong residents to nominate a CE candidate. Student-led group Scholarism in September 2013 called for parties to sign a charter which lists public nomination as a priority.[5] Under the public nomination proposal, the nominating committee may put forward to run those candidates who receive a quota of nominations from ordinary voters.[6] The Democratic Party, Labour Party and Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood refused to sign it as they disagree that public nomination is the only way to put forward candidates.[5] Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen raised legal arguments against public nomination as he claimed it may bypass the nominating committee and "turn it into a plastic stamp"[6] as Article 45 of the Basic Law states that "the selection of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee in accordance with democratic procedures."[7]
Public consultation
On 4 December 2013, the Hong Kong government launched the commence a five-month public consultation period by publishing the Consultation Document on the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive in 2017 and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2016.[8] The consultation document, entitled "Let’s Talk and Achieve Universal Suffrage". The consultation process were headed by the Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam, Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen, and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam.
Occupy Central movement
In early 2013, Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Hong Kong started the campaign called "Occupy Central with Love and Peace" that proposes an nonviolent occupation protest at Central, Hong Kong in mid 2014 if promises made by the Central People's Government for universal suffrage were not realized.[9]
See also
- Chief Executive of Hong Kong
- Democratic development in Hong Kong
- Legislative Council of Hong Kong
- Occupy Central (2014)
References
- ^ "The Joint Declaration - ANNEX I". Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau.
- ^ The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (2013). Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive in 2017 and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2016 Consultation Document (PDF). p. 3.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ Lee, Colleen; But, Joshua (25 March 2013). "Opponents of Beijing ineligible to be CE: top Chinese official". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Cheung, Tony; Chong, and Tanna (22 November 2013). "Catch-22 situation looms over election for chief executive in 2017". South China Morning Post.
- ^ a b Lam, Jeffie (20 September 2013). "Public nomination shouldn't be the only way to elect CE: think tank".
- ^ a b "Justice chief challenges democrats' reform plan". The Standard. 23 December 2013.
- ^ "Chapter IV : Political Structure". The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
- ^ "LC: Statement by CS on "Consultation Document on the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive in 2017 and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2016"". Information Services Department.
- ^ Luk, Eddie (25 February 2013). "Hot talk swirls on 'occupy Central' idea". The Standard. Retrieved 27 March 2013.