The league declared that passage of the package marked the moment it parted company with the Democratic Party, which supported the government proposal.

In another sign indicating how the community is polarised by the lingering debate on political reform, the news drew jeers from protesters in Statue Square, near the Legislative Council building, while jubilant supporters of the reform package in Chater Garden chanted 'Act Now' - the government's slogan selling the proposal.

One protester, Chan King-fai, 28, who interrupted the Legco meeting from the public gallery, was taken away by security guards and later arrested by police for contempt of Legco. Chan was active in campaigns against the high-speed rail link to Guangzhou and demolition of Queen's and Star Ferry piers.

The resolution, the first endorsed by the legislature since the handover, was passed by 46 votes to 13, comfortably above the required two-thirds majority of the 60 lawmakers.

Those voting in favour of the resolution included 10 pan-democrats, including eight from the Democratic Party, Joseph Lee Kok-long and Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood lawmaker Frederick Fung Kin-kee.

Democratic Party lawmaker James To Kun-sun decided to support the revised package, which was based on the Democrats' 'one person, two votes' model, and stayed in his party despite his reservations.

The nine-hour debate started at 6.30pm on Wednesday and concluded at 2.20pm yesterday.

The resolution states the size of the Election Committee, which elects the chief executive in 2012, will be expanded from 800 to 1,200 members.

Under the revised proposal, candidates for the five new Legco seats representing district councils' seats will be nominated by elected councillors. The seats will then be chosen by the 3.2 million voters who are not entitled to vote in the functional constituencies.

The debate on the Legco reform package adjourned at 9.50pm after a protester in the public gallery disrupted the meeting. The debate resumes this morning. Thirty-two lawmakers have spoken.

Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan said many people who supported a faster pace of democracy were fed up with the squabble over political issues because they did not see a way out.

'The 10 extra Legco seats, including five directly elected district council functional constituency seats, will be a breakthrough. It will bring new hope to the public,' he said.

Unionist legislator Li Fung-ying saluted the Democratic Party. 'They weathered pressure from various fronts and made the tough decision. History will do justice to them.'

Chan Kam-lam, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, choked when he called for unity in the community. 'The Hong Kong spirit ... is tolerance, unity and courage to pursue our dream together.

'I also want to tell both those who support and oppose the proposal outside: before taking any radical action, please think of our views on the 'red shirt' protesters in Thailand. If we take extreme actions, the international community will also see Hong Kong in the same way.'

Wong Yuk-man of the League of Social Democrats criticised the Democratic Party for 'betraying justice'.

Fellow league legislator Albert Chan Wai-yip said the Democrats' betrayal of their pledge to fight for universal suffrage in 2012 was 'the biggest political sham' in Hong Kong's history.

Democratic Party legislator Lee Wing-tat said: 'Betraying democracy are easy words to utter ... if we were to betray, or be bought out, we would have been rich many years ago'.

Although the resolution was backed by 36 government-friendly lawmakers, some government allies voiced grievances at the administration's U-turn on the reform proposal, which caught them off guard.