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Hong Kong Leader Says ‘Mainstream’ Opposes Democracy Activists’ Key Proposal Hong Kong Leader Says ‘Mainstream’ Opposes Democracy Activists’ Key Proposal
(about 1 hour later)
HONG KONG — Presenting a major report on revamping the electoral system, Hong Kong’s top leader, Leung Chun-ying, said on Tuesday that “mainstream opinion” in the city opposed a key proposal of many pro-democracy groups: that voters be given the power to directly nominate candidates for his job. HONG KONG — Presenting a major report on revamping the electoral system, Hong Kong’s top leader, Leung Chun-ying, said on Tuesday that “mainstream opinion” in the city opposed a key proposal of many pro-democracy groups: that voters win the power to directly nominate candidates for his job.
The dismissal of the idea, while not surprising, brought the city closer to fresh confrontation over its political future, experts said.The dismissal of the idea, while not surprising, brought the city closer to fresh confrontation over its political future, experts said.
The report from Mr. Leung, Hong Kong’s chief executive, to China’s national legislature, along with an accompanying document, summed up proposals from politicians, residents and organizations about how the chief executive should be elected starting in 2017, when the Chinese government has said that the city’s 3.5 million registered voters can receive universal suffrage. Mr. Leung noted that the debate over the electoral system had been contentious, and he held back from offering any definitive proposals, but he said Hong Kong was ripe for change.The report from Mr. Leung, Hong Kong’s chief executive, to China’s national legislature, along with an accompanying document, summed up proposals from politicians, residents and organizations about how the chief executive should be elected starting in 2017, when the Chinese government has said that the city’s 3.5 million registered voters can receive universal suffrage. Mr. Leung noted that the debate over the electoral system had been contentious, and he held back from offering any definitive proposals, but he said Hong Kong was ripe for change.
“Constitutional development issues are complicated, and it is understandable that the community has different opinions and arguments over specific proposals,” he said in the report to the Standing Committee of the Chinese legislature, the National People’s Congress. Mr. Leung, however, also said that “mainstream opinion” in Hong Kong stood with him and the Chinese government in opposing as illegal changes that could override a nominating committee as the final arbiter of who may run for chief executive.
Mr. Leung, however, also said that “mainstream opinion” in Hong Kong stood with him and the Chinese government in opposing changes that could override a nominating committee as the final arbiter of who may run for chief executive. “Such power of nomination must not be undermined or bypassed directly or indirectly,” Mr. Leung said in the report to the Standing Committee of the Chinese legislature, the National People’s Congress. The prevailing public view in Hong Kong supports the opinion that only the nominating committee “has a substantive power to nominate,” he said.
“Such power of nomination must not be undermined or bypassed directly or indirectly,” Mr. Leung said in the report. The prevailing public view in Hong Kong supports the opinion that only the nominating committee “has a substantive power to nominate,” he said. That conclusion angered pro-democracy groups and politicians, who have said that the universal suffrage promised by Beijing could be fatally undercut by procedural hurdles. They have said that the Chinese government could ensure that a committee dominated by loyalists, based on one that now appoints the chief executive, acts as gatekeeper for candidates, thus engineering outcomes favored by Beijing.
That conclusion was likely to anger pro-democracy groups, who have said that the universal suffrage promised by Beijing could be fatally undercut by procedural hurdles. They have said that the Chinese government could ensure that a committee dominated by loyalists, based on one that now appoints the chief executive, acts as gatekeeper for candidates, thus engineering outcomes favored by Beijing. “The report today confirmed all the worries,” said Emily Lau, a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council and chairwoman of the Democratic Party, which supports demands for popular nomination of candidates for chief executive.
Hong Kong’s chief executive is currently chosen by an elite committee with some 1,200 members. Many are appointees approved by Beijing or elected by narrow bands of Hong Kong voters from the trade, financial and business world that favor accommodation with Beijing. Pro-democracy groups want a much more representative committee, and many also support giving voters nominating rights that could override the committee, through write-ins or party nominations. “The ball is in Beijing’s court. for my party, the trigger is when they rule out a genuine universal suffrage,” she said. “Hong Kong’s a very tense city. The confrontations, contradictions are sharp.”
“My impression is that this report leans heavily to the establishment camp,” said Michael C. Davis, a professor of law at the University of Hong Kong who has closely followed the debate. “They tend to characterize what most of us would consider establishment-camp views as mainstream views.” Hong Kong’s chief executive is currently chosen by an elite committee with some 1,200 members. Many are appointees approved by Beijing or elected by narrow bands of Hong Kong voters from the trade, financial and business world that favor accommodation with Beijing. Pro-democracy groups want a thoroughly representative committee, and many also support giving voters nominating rights that could override the committee, through write-ins or party nominations.
When the reports were presented Tuesday to Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, a well-known firebrand legislator, Leung Kwok-hung, popularly known as Long Hair, denounced the government for failing to endorse popular nomination of chief executive candidates. He was carried away from the chamber by security guards after lunging in front of Carrie Lam, the No. 2 leader of Hong Kong. Although the two reports were not conclusive, their wording suggested the authorities would introduce limited changes to the election committee and nomination rules for chief executive, said Danny Gittings, an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong.
“The composition of the election committee itself will probably change slightly in the direction of being more democratic,” he said. “They’re not in favor of a radical overhaul.”
The issue of how to elect Hong Kong’s chief executive has been the focus of months of campaigning by pro-democracy groups, exposing widening rifts between the pro-Beijing establishment and residents who fear that growing mainland influence is eroding the city’s traditions of free speech and judicial independence, which they say were guaranteed as part of an agreement before Britain returned the territory to China in 1997.The issue of how to elect Hong Kong’s chief executive has been the focus of months of campaigning by pro-democracy groups, exposing widening rifts between the pro-Beijing establishment and residents who fear that growing mainland influence is eroding the city’s traditions of free speech and judicial independence, which they say were guaranteed as part of an agreement before Britain returned the territory to China in 1997.
The main pro-democracy umbrella group, Occupy Central With Love and Peace, has said it will hold sit-in protests in the city’s main financial district, Central, if the proposed electoral changes authorized by Beijing fail to live up to international standards. Benny Tai, a founder of Occupy Central, said he expected the Chinese government to give its proposals in August.The main pro-democracy umbrella group, Occupy Central With Love and Peace, has said it will hold sit-in protests in the city’s main financial district, Central, if the proposed electoral changes authorized by Beijing fail to live up to international standards. Benny Tai, a founder of Occupy Central, said he expected the Chinese government to give its proposals in August.
In June, Occupy Central organized an unofficial referendum that invited Hong Kong residents to choose between three proposals for overhauling the system, each of which allowed voters to nominate candidates for the chief executive. The exercise attracted votes from 787,000 Hong Kong residents, a number equal to more than one-tenth of the city’s population and more than one-fifth of its registered voters. An annual protest march on July 1 by democratic groups and opposition organizations drew more than 500,000 people, according to the organizers, although the police estimate indicated a much lower turnout.In June, Occupy Central organized an unofficial referendum that invited Hong Kong residents to choose between three proposals for overhauling the system, each of which allowed voters to nominate candidates for the chief executive. The exercise attracted votes from 787,000 Hong Kong residents, a number equal to more than one-tenth of the city’s population and more than one-fifth of its registered voters. An annual protest march on July 1 by democratic groups and opposition organizations drew more than 500,000 people, according to the organizers, although the police estimate indicated a much lower turnout.
Now the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress must decide what package of electoral changes to offer Hong Kong. That package will be followed by another round of public consultations in Hong Kong. Now the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress must decide what package of electoral changes to offer Hong Kong. That package will be followed by more public consultations in Hong Kong.
“The Standing Committee decision will almost certainly say that the nominating committee is the only method of nomination, and rule out civil nomination,” Mr. Gittings said. “But they really want to leave it to the Standing Committee to say that.”