NPCSC sets highly conservative framework

http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20140831/news_20140831_56_1033807.htm

31-08-2014

CCTV announces NPCSC endorsement of political reform in HK. Photo: CCTVThe National People's Congress Standing Committee has officially laid out an extremely conservative framework for Hong Kong's political reform: with the composition and size of the future nominating committee for the 2017 Chief Executive election to remain exactly the same as the existing election committee. Also, future C-E hopefuls can only become candidates with the endorsement of over half the nominating committee; and the number of candidates will be capped at two or three.

All 170 members of the National People's Congress Standing Committee endorsed the conservative political reform framework for Hong Kong.

According to local delegate to the NPC, Ma Fung-kwok, the report stated that the composition of the nominating committee would be modelled on the existing eletion committee. This would mean that the future committee would virtually be a copy of the election committee that elected C Y Leung as CE in 2012. The four sub-sectors will remain untouched, and even the ratios between the various special-interest groups would not be changed.

The report also stipulated that CE hopefuls can only formally become candidates with the backing of more than half the nominating committee. This would ensure that the nomination of candidates is a collective decision.

The number of candidates, meanwhile, would be capped at two or three.

Despite the NPCSC giving the green light for universal suffrage, Mr Ma said Hong Kong people can only get one person one vote if more than two thirds of Legislative Councillors vote in favour of it.

If lawmakers indeed decide to veto the proposal, then the 2017 CE election will be carried out the same way as it did in 2012.

Frederick Fung from the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, who is also the convenor of the pan-democratic "lunchbox meeting group", described Beijing's decision as "unacceptable:, and believes 26 pan-democratic lawmakers will honour their pledge to veto any political reform proposals that fail to meet international standards.