Hong Kong political reform debate becomes a battle for hearts and minds

The battle for the hearts and minds of Hongkongers began in earnest yesterday as the government rolled out a final package for electoral reform with no surprises or concessions to mollify pan-democrats.

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the government's point woman on reform, put forward the blueprint for the 2017 chief executive election to a deeply divided legislature yesterday morning, sparking a walkout by pan-democrats.

The government stuck to the rigid framework set last year by Beijing. Chief executive hopefuls must win majority support from a 1,200-strong nominating body before Hongkongers choose between the top two or three candidates when they elect their leader for the first time.

With pan-democrats vowing to deny the package a two-thirds majority in the Legislative Council, both sides are looking to win over the public.

Lam, who ruled out last-ditch changes, urged pan-democrats to show political courage. She stressed it would be easier for hopefuls to enter the committee's internal vote than it was for candidates to enter the 2012 election - when just 689 votes from a similar body saw Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying elected.

Back then, each candidates required 150 nominations. Now, hopefuls will need 120 "recommendations", and each can collect no more than 240. That should allow five to 10 candidates to enter the internal vote, in which committee members must cast at least two votes apiece.

After the committee whittles them down to two or three, the decision will be for the city's five million eligible voters. The poll will be "first past the post" - the candidate with most votes wins.