Focus on electoral methods for 2012, ADPL chief urges democrats

Pan-democrats should start working on a proposal for election methods in 2012 instead of persisting with universal suffrage for that year, the leader of the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood said.

Bruce Liu Sing-lee, acting chairman of the pan-democratic party, said the ADPL was studying the feasibility of increasing the number of Legislative Council seats in 2012 to pave the way for full direct elections in 2020. 'The National People's Congress Standing Committee's decision is a reality,' he said. 'More rallies and hunger strikes will not change it.'

Last month, the national legislature ruled out full democracy in Hong Kong in 2012 and opened the possibility of universal suffrage for the chief executive and all Legislative Council seats in 2017 and 2020 respectively.

One proposal under discussion by the ADPL is to add 10 seats to the geographic constituencies and 10 to the functional constituencies for the Legco election in 2012, with all new functional seats indirectly elected by the public through district councils.

This is similar to the government's proposal for this year's Legco election, which was vetoed by pan-democrat lawmakers in 2005. The administration then suggested increasing geographical and functional seats by five seats each.

But Mr Liu added the condition that all appointed seats on district councils must be abolished.