With the chairmen of two major political parties joining the cabinet, there is doubt over whether the Legco cross-party coalition can survive.
While Democrat Yeung Sum hailed the move as a step forward that signified both the SAR and Beijing governments' recognition of political parties' status and roles, some thought it further upset the politically imbalanced legislature.
Liberal Party chairman James Tien Pei-chun and Tsang Yok-sing, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, will sit on the new Exco as members without portfolio.
Mr Tien said his party's eight votes in Legco would go to government proposals.
But he said the party's constitution allowed members to apply for exemption from the party's stance in voting when it conflicted with the interests of the functional constituencies they represented.
On the future of the cross-party coalition, Mr Tsang said he would describe the coalition as more like a 'joint meeting' than a coalition.
'If one were to look at this as [a format] for each political party to join hands to exert pressure on the Government [to do something], I'm afraid it will be difficult to serve this function any more as two political party leaders have now joined the Executive Council,' Mr Tsang said.