Another nail in the coffin for 2017 public nomination as Beijing's top legal official speaks out
Beijing’s top legal official is the latest to speak out against letting public vote for city’s chief executive in 2017, saying it goes against Basic Law
Allowing voters to nominate chief executive candidates would violate the Basic Law, Beijing's top legal official has been quoted as saying amid Hong Kong's electoral reform debate.
Basic Law Committee director Li Fei reportedly told a legal delegation yesterday that public nomination was not in line with the city's constitution.
"Li raised the topic of public nomination and said it violates the Basic Law," a delegate said after the three-hour meeting. "He asked us to take more initiative to explain the legal principles - in particular, Article 45 - to the public and through the media."
The clause states the city's leader should be nominated by a "broadly representative nominating committee in accordance with democratic procedures".
The meeting in Beijing was attended by about 15 legal professionals, including National People's Congress deputies, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference delegates and three Basic Law Committee members.
At the centre of the electoral reform debate was how to put forward chief executive candidates for the popular vote. The city's pan-democrats want the public to be allowed to nominate names for the top job.
The delegate said Basic Law Committee deputy director Zhang Rongshun detailed the benefits of having a nominating committee. "Zhang said one of the benefits is to prevent party politics."