Public consultation on the 2012 electoral arrangements will start in the fourth quarter, the Constitutional & Mainland Affairs says, noting Basic Law Annexes I and II will be amended by the fourth quarter of 2010 and local legislation will be dealt with before the summer of 2011.

The bureau said today the Chief Executive has decided to slightly postpone the public consultation to allow the community to focus on tackling the economic issues due to the financial turmoil.

There will still be sufficient time for the community to discuss and to forge consensus on, and the Government to make practical arrangements for, the two electoral methods for 2012.

The bureau will continue to prepare for the public consultation exercise and conduct internal studies. It will listen to community views which will serve as a reference for conducting the consultation.

The Government objective to determine the two electoral methods within its tenure has not changed, it stressed, adding it aims to roll them forward to a mid-way point to pave the way for implementing universal suffrage for the Chief Executive in 2017 and the Legislative Council in 2020.