China News Service, Hong Kong, March 30 (Reporter Zeng Ping) The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Carrie Lam, said on the 30th that the central government will play a fundamental role in improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at the national level. The SAR government will provide public commentary, local legislation and arrangements. The three aspects of the election will fully cooperate with the implementation of relevant work.
The 27th meeting of the 13th National People’s Congress Standing Committee unanimously adopted on the 30th the newly revised “Annex I to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China for the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” and the newly revised “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China” Annex II to the Basic Law: Methods for Forming the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Voting Procedures.
On the same day, Carrie Lam held a press conference with officials such as Zeng Guowei, Director of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau of the Special Administrative Region Government, to explain the amendments.
Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor thanked the central government for absorbing her and the SAR government's opinions in the process of improving the electoral system.
She believes that this is after the enactment and implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law last year, the central government has once again improved the Hong Kong SAR from the national level to comprehensively implement the "one country, two systems" system. The role is to correct the roots and put "one country, two systems" back on the right track.
"The SAR government will fully cooperate with the implementation of Annex I and Annex II." Carrie Lam said that the work includes public commentary, local legislation and election arrangements.
Among them, local legislative matters include: how to define the statutory bodies, advisory organizations, related groups, and eligible voters of the relevant subsectors of the Election Committee; the composition and operation of the qualification review committee; the division of constituencies for direct elections in the Legislative Council; and specific election arrangements.
She said that the time to amend local laws is very tight. The SAR government will go all out to submit a comprehensive bill to the Legislative Council in mid-April to improve the electoral system. It is hoped that the Legislative Council will complete its deliberation by the end of May this year and pass it through the third reading. .
She pointed out that if the Legislative Council passes the relevant bill according to the above-mentioned timetable, the SAR government plans to hold elections for the Election Committee subsector in September this year, the general election of the Legislative Council in December this year, and the Chief Executive election in March next year.
Carrie Lam said that she was glad to hear that the President of the Legislative Council has expressed his willingness to cooperate with the relevant work. "I think this fully demonstrates the constitutional relationship of mutual cooperation and checks and balances that the executive and legislature should have." She said that the SAR government will fully cooperate with the legislation. This comprehensive bill to improve the electoral system will be reviewed.
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