The moderate proposal that might break deadlock over electoral reform

A compromise proposal for electoral reform pitched by 13 moderate, pro-establishment scholars could prevent a stand-off between Beijing and pan- democrats.

It calls for a 2,400-member nominating committee to pick candidates for the 2017 chief executive election, with half the members directly elected.

The scholars have also suggested a "list system" to group together candidates of various political persuasions. In that way, no candidate would be screened out individually. All names on the list would appear on the public ballot once the group was approved by half of all nominating committee members.

The plan might give pan-democrats one of their greatest wishes: a system that does not screen out individuals critical of Beijing.

"If the proportion of support required from the nomination committee is increased to a higher proportion, say 75 per cent, the risk of screening out candidates critical of Beijing would be significantly reduced," said one pan-democrat who asked not to be named because he was expressing a personal opinion.

The so-called G13 proposal would allow room for discussion with the central government, which may pave the way for a system which is more acceptable to pan-democrats.

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, chairman of the government-friendly New People's Party, said she believed the central government sincerely wanted the support of pan-democrats for political reform.