Optimism about Legco elections dampened after bungled reform vote, president says
TONY CHEUNG AND GARY CHEUNG
PUBLISHED : Monday, 31 August, 2015, 12:02am
UPDATED : Monday, 31 August, 2015, 12:02am
Legco president Jasper Tsang (centre) following the bungled walk-out from the chamber in June. Photo: May Tse
The pro-establishment camp is not expecting to win a two-thirds majority in next year's Legislative Council election following its bungled vote on the government's electoral reform package in June, Legco president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing said.
Tsang, a leading light of the Beijing-loyalist Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, made the remark yesterday, a month after his party was given the tough mission during a visit to Beijing.
"Some officials in Hong Kong and Beijing … are still dreaming about winning two-thirds of the seats," Tsang said.
"This optimism was most obvious at the beginning of this year, because … the Occupy protests cost the pan-democrats public support, and the SAR government … was then optimistic that the political reform package would be approved.
"But I think in the last two months, it has been clearer that the pro-establishment camp won't be eyeing a two-thirds majority," he said.
It has been clearer that the pro-establishment camp won't be eyeing a two-thirds majority
JASPER TSANG
In June, the Beijing-decreed reform package for the 2017 chief executive election was blocked after it failed to secure support from the required two-thirds of lawmakers. The pro-establishment camp has 43 seats in Legco and must win four more in September next year to secure a two-thirds majority and push through reform without the need to win over any pan-democrats.
Some 31 pro-establishment lawmakers walked out of the Legco chamber seconds before the vote on the package in the mistaken belief voting would be suspended. Pro-establishment legislators feared supporters would be disappointed by the fiasco.
Tsang said he thinks "Beijing officials, including those working in the liaison office, are still living in the aftermath of the bungled vote and licking their wounds".
He also said optimism had been dampened by the fact that a third of Hongkongers were firmly opposed to the package.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1853932/beijing-loyalists-not-expecting-two-thirds-majority
