Chief Executive CY Leung says the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Central Government share Hong Kong people’s aspiration for universal suffrage in the 2017 Chief Executive election.
He told reporters today that no matter how many people participate in an ongoing unofficial referendum, he believes the majority of them are expressing their desire to achieve universal suffrage for the Chief Executive election in 2017.
The Government will work wholeheartedly with Hong Kong people to achieve this target, which is provided for by the Basic Law, he added.
He said the comment that the so-called ‘referendum’ has no legal basis does not mean that people who participate in it will bear a criminal responsibility.
The Central Government delegates power to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, he said, which is why it has the power to appoint the Chief Executive.
To take constitutional reform forward, the Government will explain to the public the requirements in the Basic Law and relevant National People’s Congress Standing Committee’s decisions, including the nominating committee's power, he added.
