CHINA’S top legislature Thursday said its decision on Hong Kong’s electoral reforms last August will remain in force in the future, despite Hong Kong Legislative Council’s veto of the universal suffrage motion.

    “Although the universal suffrage motion was not passed at the Legislative Council, the direction towards universal suffrage and the legal principles laid down in the decision of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee must continue to be upheld in future efforts to pursue universal suffrage,” read a statement from the office of the NPC Standing Committee.

    “The decision shall continue to serve as the constitutional ground for Hong Kong in the future as it enforces universal suffrage in the chief executive election, and its legal force is unquestionable,” it read.

    After a nine-hour debate that started Wednesday, 28 lawmakers of the Legislative Council voted against the motion for selecting Hong Kong’s next chief executive in 2017, while eight voted in favor. Many lawmakers left the chamber of the legislature building before the vote.

    According to a decision by the Standing Committee of the NPC, the motion needs to be endorsed by at least two-thirds of all the 70 lawmakers, or 47 votes, in the Legislative Council.

    The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council criticized the Hong Kong lawmakers who rejected the motion. This result runs counter to mainstream opinion in Hong Kong and is not an outcome the Central Government is willing to see, it said.

    The liaison office of the Central Government in Hong Kong expressed regret on the result.

    “We are disappointed at the veto, as are majority of Hong Kong citizens,” read a statement from the office released following the veto.

    (Xinhua)