Chief Secretary Carrie Lam today urged the community not to miss the opportunity to implement universal suffrage for the 2017 Chief Executive election.
Speaking at a press conference launching the second public consultation on constitutional development this afternoon, Mrs Lam listed out five reasons why the chance should not be missed.
She noted that it is the aspiration of Hong Kong people to implement universal suffrage for the Chief Executive election in 2017 and the community should take full advantage of the opportunity during the second reform consultation to express that wish clearly.
The Chief Secretary said that compared to the existing method of 1,200 members forming the Election Committee, exercising five million eligible voters' right to select the Chief Executive through one person, one vote would mean a step forward for the city's constitutional development.
According to the National People's Congress Standing Committee's decision made on August 31, implementing universal suffrage for the 2017 Chief Executive election is the prerequisite for universal suffrage in forming the Legislative Council. If it cannot be implemented, it would mean the earliest date universal suffrage for voting in LegCo members could happen is 2020.
