HK lawmakers OK amendment to method for forming HK's LegCo

Hong Kong's 60-member Legislative Council (LegCo) Friday afternoon voted for the amendment to the method for forming the LegCo in 2012 by a two- thirds majority.

The vote was 46 in favor, while 12 opposed. Lawmaker Jasper Tsang did not vote since he is LegCo president, plus one lawmaker was ejected from the meeting room.

The approval marked the passage of HK's constitutional reform package in 2012, which also included the method of selecting the Chief Executive (CE) in 2012. Earlier on Thursday, the electoral method for selecting HK's CE in 2012 was passed on a 46-13 vote.

According to the amendment to method for forming the LegCo in 2012, the fifth term Legislative Council in the year 2012 shall be composed of 70 members, the number of seats should be increased from 60 to 70.

Of the new 10 seats, five will go to geographical constituencies through direct elections while the other five to functional constituencies.

The amendment was announced by the HKSAR government and illustrated by Chief Secretary Henry Tang at the LegCo meeting on April 14 this year. After that, some HK political organizations and persons had proposed the five new LegCo seats of functional constituencies in 2012 should be on a "1-person-2-votes" method.

On June 21, HK's Chief Executive Donald Tsang said his Executive Council had given approval in principle to accept the " one-person-two-votes" proposal for returning the five new functional constituencies seats in 2012.

The HKSAR Executive Council said the five new functional constituencies seats in 2012 would be nominated by elected District Council members, for election on a 1-person-1-vote basis, by about 3.2 million HK voters who currently do not have a right to vote in functional constituencies.

Source:Xinhua
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