THE National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee made a decision yesterday to grant universal suffrage in the selection of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) chief executive on the basis of the nomination by a “broadly representative” committee.

    The decision was passed at the bi-monthly session of the NPC Standing Committee.

    The current chief executive was elected by a committee in 2012. The region plans to introduce universal suffrage, the right for citizens to vote, during the next election in 2017.

    The NPC Standing Committee’s decision stipulated that provisions for the number of members, composition and formation method of the nominating committee shall be made in accordance with the number of members, composition and formation method of the Election Committee for the Fourth Chief Executive.

    “The nominating committee shall nominate two to three candidates for the office of chief executive in accordance with democratic procedure,” the decision said. “Each candidate must have the endorsement of more than half of all the members of the nominating committee.”

    (Continued on P4)

    All eligible electors of the region have the right to vote in the election of the chief executive and select one of the candidates for the office, according to the decision.

    The chief executive-elect, after being selected through universal suffrage, will have to be appointed by the Central Government, the decision ruled.

    The specific method of universal suffrage shall be prescribed in accordance with legal procedures through amending Annex I to the Hong Kong Basic Law. Such amendments must be endorsed by at least two-thirds of all the members of the Legislative Council andwith the consent of the chief executive before being submitted to the NPC Standing Committee for approval, the NPC Standing Committee decided.

    If the specific method of universal suffrage for selecting the chief executive is not adopted in accordance with legal procedures,the method used for selecting Hong Kong’s leader for the precedingterm shall continue to apply, the decision said.

    The NPC Standing Committee also decided the existing formation method and voting procedures for the Legislative Council will not be amended.

    After the election of the chief executive by universal suffrage, the election of all the members of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR may be implemented by the same method, according to the decision.

    (Xinhua)