Hong Kong vetoes motion for electoral reform

World Today

Pro-Beijing supporters display a Chinese national flag outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, Thursday, June 18, 2015.(AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

China’s Hong Kong Legislative Council on Thursday vetoed a motion on the proposed universal suffrage for selecting the region’s next chief executive in 2017. After a nine-hour debate which started on Wednesday, 28 lawmakers of the Legislative Council voted against the motion while eight voted in favor.

Many lawmakers left the chamber of the legislature building before the vote, Xinhua reported.

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

The Associated Press reported that China on Thursday expressed regret over the defeat of Hong Kong’s controversial Beijing-backed electoral plans. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang reiterated Beijing’s support for the proposal, saying it remained the best hope for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s continued prosperity.

Story compiled with information from the Associated Press and Xinhua.


Members of Hong Kong Legislative Council vetoed reform plan
After a twenty-month consultation and preparation process, the electoral reform plan of the Hong Kong government has been vetoed in the Legislative Council. CCTV’s correspondent Zhu Dan filed this report from Hong Kong.

More details:

  • 28 of 70 lawmakers in the Legislative Council voted against it. Only eight voted for it.
  • Under the reform plan proposed by the government, Hong Kong residents would have had the chance to elect their next chief executive for the first time in 2017.
  • The last round of a rolling poll conducted by three of the city’s universities, from June the 12th to the 16th, found 47 per cent of 1,118 respondents supported the government proposal. Only 38 per cent opposed it.

Elsie Leung on Hong Kong’s electoral reform
Fore more on Hong Kong’s electoral reform, CCTV’s Elaine Reyes spoke to Elsie Leung, Deputy director of the Hong Kong Special Basic Law Committee.