'Unconstitutional' for Legco to stay as it is

Pan-democrats have warned that leaving the functional constituencies intact for the 2016 legislative poll may be unconstitutional.

The remarks came as the European Union said it would monitor the process of introducing universal suffrage in Hong Kong.

In a statement, the EU said it had noted Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's electoral reform report to the National People's Congress Standing Committee last week. "The EU is following this … closely and is looking forward to the forging of an ambitious consensus among the parties involved, within the framework of 'one country, two systems'."

In his report, Leung asked the NPC Standing Committee to decide whether the electoral system for the 2017 chief executive election should be amended.

But he advised against amending Annex II to the Basic Law, which deals with the method for forming the Legislative Council. That means the functional constituencies - much criticised for their narrow electorates - will stay.

At yesterday's meeting of Legco's constitutional affairs panel, lawmaker Frederick Fung Kin-kee said: "Leaving the legislative election system intact goes against the Basic Law."