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Welcome to this website.
The Constitutional Development Task Force has released its Fifth Report on 19 October, putting forward a set of proposals on the methods for selecting the Chief Executive in 2007 and for forming the Legislative Council in 2008.
The main thrust of the proposed package is to increase the level of "democratic representation" of the two electoral methods through enhancing the participation of District Council members in both the Election Committee and the Legislative Council. Regarding the method for selecting the Chief Executive in 2007, the Task Force's proposals include:
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(1)
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The number of members of the Election Committee to be increased from 800 to 1 600.
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(2)
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The number of members of the First Sector (Industrial, commercial and financial sectors), the Second Sector (The professions) and the Third Sector (Labour, social services, religious and other sectors) of the Election Committee to be increased, respectively, from 200 to 300.
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(3)
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The number of members of the Fourth Sector (members of Legislative Council, members of District Councils, representatives of the Heung Yee Kuk, Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress, and representatives of Hong Kong members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) of the Election Committee to be increased
from 200 to 700, with the inclusion of all District Council members.
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(4)
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Maintain the number of Election Committee members required for nominating Chief Executive candidates at the ratio of one-eighth of the total membership, i.e. 200 members.
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(5)
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Consider establishing an appropriate mechanism whereby, where only one candidate is validly nominated, election proceedings shall continue.
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(6)
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Maintain the existing requirement that the Chief Executive should not have any political affiliation.
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Regarding the method for forming the Legislative Council in 2008, the Task Force's proposals include:
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(1)
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The number of seats in the Legislative Council to be increased from 60 to 70.
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(2)
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The number of seats to be returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections to be increased from 30 to 35.
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(3)
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The number of seats to be returned by functional constituencies to be increased from 30 to 35, with the number of seats returned by the District Council Functional Constituency to be increased from 1 to 6.
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Since its establishment in January 2004, the Task Force has been collecting views from the general public and different sectors of the community on the issue of constitutional development. The package of proposals is the product of wide and open public consultation conducted in stages during the past year or so. In formulating the set of proposals, the Task Force has
considered carefully the views of the community and has had regard to the following principles:
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(1)
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Consistent with the relevant provisions of the Basic Law and the Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) of 26 April 2004.
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(2)
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Move substantively towards the ultimate aim of universal suffrage.
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(3)
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Provide more room and opportunities for the public to participate in the elections for the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council.
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(4)
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Acceptable to the Central Authorities, the Chief Executive, the Legislative Council and different sectors of the community.
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We believe that the proposed package has had regard to the principles outlined above, has struck a balance amidst the various views submitted by different sectors of the community, and has responded to the aspirations of the community on constitutional development.
The priority task of the Task Force is to strive to gain the support of the Legislative Council on the proposed package and the draft motions concerning the Amendments to the two electoral methods. The plan of the Task Force is that, not later than December 2005, it will formally present to the Legislative Council the motions on the Amendments and strive to obtain the
Council's endorsement. After the relevant proposals have received the endorsement of the Legislative Council, and the consent of the Chief Executive, and after they have been reported to the NPCSC for approval or for the record, we envisage introducing the Chief Executive Election (Amendment) Bill into the Legislative Council in January 2006 to prescribe, under local
legislation, the detailed arrangements regarding the method for selecting the Chief Executive. We will strive to have the Bill passed by the Legislative Council by early May 2006 at the latest, so that relevant subsidiary legislation could be amended respectively by the Executive Council and the Election Affairs Commission thereafter, and for the relevant work to be
completed by mid-July 2006.
We plan to form a new term Election Committee in the second half of 2006, to elect a new term Chief Executive in March 2007, and to amend the Legislative Council Ordinance in 2007.
The Task Force very much hopes that Legislative Council Members and members of the community will support the proposed package, so that Hong Kong's constitutional development can progress substantively.
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