CY Leung: Hong Kong chief executive would have ‘greater legitimacy’ if elected by ‘one man, one vote’
Following recent surprise comment by his deputy, he calls for political reform as soon as possible
Electing Hong Kong’s leader by universal suffrage as soon as possible is a shared desire of citizens as well as both the city and central governments, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said on Tuesday as he unveiled his annual report on the administration’s work.
The city’s stalled political process is in the spotlight again after Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor expressed “sincere hope” over the weekend that the next administration could get it going again so that Hongkongers could pick their own leader by “one man, one vote”.
Heading into his weekly cabinet meeting, Leung said universal suffrage was “a common aspiration” of Hongkongers, the government and Beijing. One man, one vote would give the chief executive “greater legitimacy”, he added.
But Leung also called for the rift between pan-democrat lawmakers and Beijing to be narrowed to enable electoral reform.
Changing the existing system requires the support of two-thirds of the Legislative Council, meaning the government would need the backing of several pan-democrats at least. It would also require approval from the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
In June last year, the pan-democrats orchestrated the rejection of the government’s final reform package based on a rigid framework laid down by Beijing.
Leung said most lawmakers and NPC members would need “a closer look at the matter” to accomplish reform, citing his own efforts to bridge the gap.
