The Conference for Electing Deputies of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR) to the 11th National People's
Congress (NPC) convened its first session on Thursday in
preparations for electing new-term deputies to China's top
legislature.
Vice chairman and secretary-general of the NPC Standing
Committee Sheng Huaren, who flew from Beijing to Hong Kong, chaired
the first plenary session held on Thursday at the Hong Kong
Convention and Conference Center.
In a keynote speech at the plenary session, Sheng said the first
session of the electoral conference signified the official
beginning of the election of the HKSAR deputies to the 11th NPC,
which is to convene in Beijing to elect new state leaders and
discuss state affairs this March.
"Ten years after Hong Kong's return to the motherland, Hong Kong
people have not only become the master of the HKSAR, but also
master of the country," Sheng said. "We can participate in the
administration of HKSAR affairs with a high degree of autonomy
while electing our deputies to participate in the administration of
the state affairs."
Sheng said the election is of great importance to the
implementation of the principles of "One Country, Two Systems,"
Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong and a high degree of autonomy
as well as the Basic Law.
"The election is also a guarantee for Hong Kong people's
participation in deliberation and administration of state and HKSAR
affairs," Sheng noted.
Sheng said he believed those outstanding persons in HKSAR who
love both Hong Kong and the country, adhere to the principle of
"One Country, Two Systems" and strictly abide by the Constitution
of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the HKSAR
will be elected into the country's top legislature to represent
HKSAR.
Moreover, the election will proceed by giving full play to
democracy, and in an open, fair and just manner, he noted,
stressing that he believed that members of the electoral conference
will live up to the expectations of the public in Hong Kong and
fulfill their task.
Following Sheng's speech, 988 members of the electoral
conference voted for and five voted against the composition of the
15-member presidium, with 27 abstentions. And 14 other members
attending the electoral conference did not cast their votes.
The 15 members of the presidium are: Kenneth Ting Woo-shou, Lee
Cho Jat, Li Ka-shing, Jose Yu Sun Say, Yu Kwok-chun, Alice Cheng,
Tsui Tsin Tong, Kennedy YH Wong, Leung Chun-ying, Tung Chee-hwa,
Donald Tsang, Tsang Hin Chi, Andrew Liao Cheung-sing, Tam Yiu-
chung and Poon Chung-kwong.
The presidium, which will preside over the future meetings of
the electoral conference, then held its first meeting, during which
HKSAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang was elected executive chairman
of the presidium and Lee Cho Jat as the spokesman.
According to a bulletin released by the presidium, the
nomination period for deputies to the 11th NPC will be accepted
between Jan. 5 and 16 and election for 36 deputies representing
HKSAR to the 11th NPC will be held on Jan. 25.
The presidium bulletin also made clear that Hong Kong residents
of Chinese citizenship aged 18 or above are eligible to contest for
the candidacy of the NPC deputies. They need to obtain at least 10
nominations from the total 1,231 members of the electoral
conference for their registrations to be effective.
According to the bulletin, the maximum number of the nominees by
each electoral conference member will be 36.
The electoral conference will hold its second plenary session on
Jan. 25 and 36 deputies representing HKSAR to the 11th NPC will be
elected to replace 36 Hong Kong deputies to the tenth NPC, whose
term will expire in March.
(Xinhua News Agency January 4, 2008)