Poll visit: Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam visits a Kwai Tsing District Council by-election polling station.

Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam says it would be premature for legislators to suggest they will veto the constitutional development package even before it has been introduced.

Speaking after visiting polling stations for the Kwai Tsing District Council Kwai Shing East Estate constituency by-election today, Mr Lam made the statement in response to the suggestion certain legislators should resign to promote more intense debate in the community on constitutional development and the implementation of universal suffrage.

"It would also be inappropriate for members of the legislature to impose the responsibility for a failure to gain passage of such a set of proposals on the part of the Chief Executive because both the Chief Executive and the legislature have responsibility constitutionally to propose and to consider such a package of measures for enhancing democracy in Hong Kong."

Mr Lam said options for broadening the scope for political participation like increasing the number of seats in the legislature need to be considered.

"What we need to do now is to introduce further elements of democracy in our electoral methods for returning the Chief Executive in 2012 and for returning members of the Legislative Council in that year."