Tuesday, Apr 27, 2004
China rules out popular vote in Hong Kong
By P. S. Suryanarayana
SINGAPORE, APRIL 26. Snuffing out the idea of universal suffrage for Hong Kong in the near-term future, China today affirmed its "consistent stance .... to develop democracy'' in that territory in accordance with the "principle of gradual and orderly progress''.
Ruling out the `election' of Hong Kong's Chief Executive in 2007 and the `election' of the Legislative Council in 2008 on the basis of universal suffrage, the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC or Parliament) decided in Beijing today that the "specific methods'' in respect of these two aspects could still be "appropriately modified''. There was no immediate hint about the kind of `modification' that might be acceptable to Beijing.
The NPC panel, however, laid down that any `modifications' would be conditional not only on the principle of "gradual and orderly progress'' but also on the main decision against universal suffrage and "general election'' in 2007 and 2008.
The present system of choosing half of Hong Kong's Legislative Council from functional groups and the other half from electoral constituencies "shall remain unchanged''.
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