Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam has said the Government’s political reform proposal - to be announced in the Legislative Council on Wednesday - aims to lower the entrance threshold for Chief Executive candidates, to allow for more people to enter the election.
Mr Tam told reporters today that the proposed threshold would be lower than the existing Election Committee’s 150 nomination requirement, but would not be lowered to a very large extent, to maintain the “orderly conduct” of the election.
He added that the reform proposal will seek to codify the essential elements of the National People's Congress Standing Committee’s decision made in August last year.
The proposal will also include some necessary elements that are not mentioned in the NPCSC decision, including whether there should be an entrance requirement, and how members of the Nominating Committee should cast their vote in nominating two to three candidates.
Mr Tam stressed that the Government will use the “necessary legal room” to maximise the democratic elements of the proposal, while also injecting some openness, transparency and accountability into it.
On the matter of a meeting between the pan-democrats and Central People's Government representatives, Mr Tam said some lawmakers have raised the issue with him and that he would faithfully convey those messages to his counterparts in Beijing. He noted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is receptive to arranging such a meeting.
