Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2017

Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2017

26 March 2017

All 1,200 votes of the Election Committee 601 votes needed to win

Incumbent Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying Nonpartisan

The 2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive election is scheduled on 26 March 2017 for the fifth term of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. According to the National People's Congress Standing Committee's (NPCSC) resolution in 2007, the election may be implemented by the method of universal suffrage.^[1]

Since the proposals vetoed by the Hong Kong Legislative Council on 18 June 2015, the Chief Executive election would remain as elected by 1200 electoral committee members.

Background

The leader of Hong Kong, the Chief Executive, is currently elected by a 1200-member Election Committee (CE), though the Hong Kong Basic Law Article 45 states the "ultimate aim is the selection of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee in accordance with democratic procedures."^[2] The timetable of implementing universal suffrage have been the dominant issue in Hong Kong politics since the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, as the pan-democracy camp has demanded the full implementation of Article 45 as soon as possible. After in ruling out universal suffrage in the 2012 Chief Executive election in 2004, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) in 2007 decided that the 2017 Chief Executive election "may be implemented by the method of universal suffrage."^[1]

On 31 August 2014, the NPCSC imposes the standard that "the Chief Executive shall be a person who loves the country and loves Hong Kong" and be nominated by a nominating committee, mirroring the present Election Committee (EC), to nominate two to three candidates, each of whom must receive the support of more than half of the members of the nominating committee.^[3] The pan-democrats viewed the restrictive nominating process as the violation of the international standard of free election, which aimed at screening out opposition candidates. The decision triggered a class boycott in Hong Kong^[4][5] which escalated into a 79-day large-scale occupy movement, which is also known as the "Umbrella Revolution".

On 18 June 2015, the Legislative Council rejected the unmodified electoral reform proposal with 8 votes in favour, 28 against, and 33 absent,^[6] which means that the 2017 Chief Executive will remain as elected by the 1,200-member Election Committee.

Potential candidates

The following galleries feature individuals who have been the subject of media speculation as being possible candidates in the 2017 Chief Executive election. Individuals listed below have been mentioned as potential 2017 Chief Executive candidates in at least two reliable media sources.

Pro-Beijing camp

Publicly expressed interest

• Leung Chun-ying, incumbent Chief Executive of Hong Kong^[7][8]
• Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, chairwoman of New People's Party, member of Executive Council and Legislative Council^[9][10]

Other potential candidates

• Antony Leung Kam-chung, businessman and former Financial Secretary^[9][11][12]

Declined

• Bernard Charnwut Chan, businessman and member of the Executive Council^[13]
• Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Secretary for Administration^[9][10][14]
• Henry Tang Ying-yen, former Chief Secretary for Administration and Chief Executive candidate in 2012^[15]
• James Tien Pei-chun, member of Legislative Council and honorary chairman of Liberal Party^[16]
• Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, President of Legislative Council^[17]
• John Tsang Chun-wah, Financial Secretary^{[18][19][20][21]}
• Peter Woo Kwong-ching, former chairman of Wharf Holdings and Chief Executive candidate in 1996^[22]

Pan-democracy camp

Potential candidates

• Audrey Eu Yuet-mee, chairwoman of the Civic Party and former member of Legislative Council^[23][24]

See also

• Democratic development in Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Basic Law Article 45
• Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2012
• 2014 Hong Kong protests

References

1. Decision Of The Standing Committee Of The National People's Congress On Issues Relating To The Methods For Selecting The Chief Executive Of The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region And For Forming The Legislative Council Of The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region In The Year 2012 And On Issues Relating To Universal Suffrage (Adopted By The Standing Committee Of The Tenth National People's Congress At Its Thirty-First Session On 29 December 2007), Hong Kong Legal Information Institute
2. HK basic law web pdf. "HK basic law." The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative region of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
3. "Full text of NPC decision on universal suffrage for HKSAR chief selection". Xinhua News Agency. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
4. "'Snitch line' in operation against school boycotters in H.K.". GlobalPost. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
5. Yung, Chester; Ngai, Edward (21 August 2014). "Hong Kong Students to Boycott Classes If Democracy Demands Aren't Met". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
6. "Hong Kong legislators reject China-backed reform bill". CNN. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
7. "梁振英說五年後有機會願接受普選洗禮". Commercial Radio. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
8. "It's Leung's turn for some home truths in illegal structure row". South China Morning Post. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
9. Ma, Mary (16 December 2013). "'King fishers' abound in CE race". The Standard.
10. "Skirting the issue of our next chief". The Standard. 14 January 2014.
11. Cheung, Tony (16 December 2013). "Antony Leung Kam-chung has chance at chief executive job, says Frederick Ma Si-hang". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
12. "Henry Tang says Antony Leung 'qualified' to run for chief executive". South China Morning Post. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
13. "陳智思：未來十年不會選特首". Now TV. 8 March 2016.
14. Zeng, Vivienne (21 January 2016). "Chief Sec Carrie Lam says she will retire next year, ruling out Chief Executive bid". Hong Kong Free Press.
15. "唐英年：不參選特首 創社團發掘政治人才". TVB News. 20 May 2015.
16. 廖梓達 (30 October 2014). "認做錯辭黨魁　田北俊：續為港人發聲". CRNTT.
17. "曾鈺成：2017年不參選特首". Apple Daily. 15 June 2013.
18. Chan, Yannie (3 March 2015). "People Like John Tsang Now and Regina Ip’s Unicorn Dancer is a Hero". HK Magazine.
19. Ma, Mary (12 May 2015). "2017 ticks for Woo and Tsang". The Standard.
20. "A handshake between China's president and Hong Kong's financial secretary has tongues wagging". South China Morning Post. 29 June 2015.
21. Chatterjee, Saikat; Roantree, Anne Marie (30 September 2015). "Hong Kong sees 2-4 percent growth as 'new normal', no change to dollar peg".
22. "Peter Woo has 'zero interest' in running for CE". Radio Television Hong Kong. 15 May 2015.
23. Lee, Colleen; But, Joshua (25 March 2013). "Pan-democrats fear party screening after Shenzhen meeting". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
24. Ma, Mary (13 March 2013). "Time calls for suffrage momentum". The Standard. Retrieved 5 April 2013.