1,200-member election committee will be chosen later this year – on December 11
KC.NG@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Tuesday, 05 April, 2016, 11:53pm
Leung Chun-ying (right) beat Henry Tang in the 2012 chief executive poll. The next will be held on March 26 next year. Photo: Sam Tsang
Hong Kong’s next leader is set to be elected on March 26 next year. Before that, on December 11 this year, the 1,200- member election committee that will pick the next chief executive will be chosen.
The voting dates were announced by constitutional affairs minister Raymond Tam Chi-yuen on Tuesday as pan-democratic parties were gearing up for the coming Legislative Council elections, scheduled for September 4.
The Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood has written to invite allies in the pan-democratic camp to discuss closer coordination in the September polls to secure the best possible result.
Association chairwoman Rosanda Mok Ka-han conceded on Tuesday that a small party like hers, which has only one seat in the legislature, could be put in a less advantageous position if coordination was to take place.
But she said: “I believe the hard work we have done for the residents will not go unnoticed and I am confident our candidates will win the support of our allies.”
At Tuesday’s special Finance Committee meeting, Tam told lawmakers that the government would set March 26 next year as the date for the chief executive election. The nomination period was not announced. In the last chief executive poll, which was held in March 2012, nominations were accepted in February.
An election committee consisting of 1,200 members from 38 designated subsectors will be formed to nominate candidates and elect the chief executive.
Meanwhile, Executive Council convenor Lam Woon-kwong said on Tuesday that the current tense social atmosphere was unfavourable for the government to restart talks with Beijing over democratisation.
“I hope one day when society becomes once again more rational, it may be a suitable time to restart discussion with the central government on having one-man, one-vote to elect the chief executive,” Lam said in an online interview hosted by Legco president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing.
Lam also said he was pleased to see some young activists express interest in running in the coming Legislative Council elections, saying it was an indication that some of them recognised that resorting to violence outside the council could not resolve issues.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1933869/hong-kong-chief-executive-poll-set-march-26-next-year
