Hong Kong row over Beijing’s election rules
THE CHINESE government yesterday prompted another round of protests in Hong Kong, as Beijing ruled out the open nomination of candidates to elect the city’s Chief Executive.
If current plans go ahead, Hong Kong’s 2017 election will be the first ever in which all adult residents of the region are permitted to vote.
Despite this reform, the Chinese government in Beijing confirmed over the weekend that only “two to three candidates” will be permitted to contest the election, sparking another round of protests yesterday. The potential leaders will be selected by a central nominating committee.
Currently, the Chief Executive is selected on an even more restricted basis, by a small committee of members that represent the various sectors of the Hong Kong economy, as well as some representatives from civil society groups in the city.
Earlier this year, nearly a million people in the city – under UK sovereignty until 1997 – participated in an unofficial referendum, as part of a campaign to allow the open nomination of candidates.