Most still want public to name leader: HKU poll
Majority of Hongkongers want power to pick candidates for 2017 election, rather than leaving it to nominating committee, survey reveals
Despite a thumbs-down from Beijing loyalists and officials, a poll has found that most Hongkongers favour the pan-democrats' proposal that all voters should be able to nominate chief executive candidates.
A Hong Kong University poll of about 1,000 residents found 62 per cent favoured the idea of "public nomination" for the 2017 election, when universal suffrage is due to be introduced. Only 27 per cent said candidates should continue to be put forward by a nominating committee.
The Alliance for True Democracy, which commissioned the poll, has vowed to table its own electoral reform plan, based on the findings, early next year.
"The survey clearly demonstrated that Hongkongers … are seriously concerned about the political [screening] role of the nominating committee," said Professor Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, convenor of the alliance of 26 pan-democratic lawmakers.
Christopher Lau Gar-hung of radical group People Power called the result a "slap in the face" for the Civic Party's Ronny Tong Ka-wah. Tong tabled a more moderate proposal last month after Beijing-loyalists claimed public nomination contravened the Basic Law.
"I hope he can turn back and promote public nomination with us," Lau said.
The Basic Law states that chief executive candidates should be nominated by a "broadly representative" committee. But pan-democrats have been advocating public nomination because they fear such a committee could screen out candidates unacceptable to the central government.
