Everything on the table for Hong Kong's political reform talks
Public consultation on voting will begin by early next year and include suggestions that have arisen during months of discussion
The government will put a wide range of ideas proposed by various quarters on the table to start its long-awaited first round of public consultation on methods of universal suffrage, a source familiar with the matter says.
There will be no concrete proposal, but suggestions including popular nomination will be listed in the exercise, which is to be held early next year.
It is important for the government to stay open-minded at an early stage. It is also inappropriate for us to pass premature judgment about whether any ideas violate the Basic Law
It will mark the official start to political reform that aims to set out the rules for a more democratic Legislative Council in 2016, followed by the first one-man-one-vote chief executive election in 2017.
The consultation will touch on "all elements" related to both elections, the source says.
The government will outline only several core principles under the Basic Law, he says.
It will refrain from offering a detailed plan until the second phase, which might come by the middle of next year.
"It is important for the government to stay open-minded at an early stage," the source said. "It is also inappropriate for us to pass premature judgment about whether any ideas violate the Basic Law."