This is the last article you can read this month
You can read more article this month
You can read more articles this month
Sorry your limit is up for this month
Reset on:
Please help support the Morning Star by subscribing here
HONG KONG’S legislative council voted against direct elections for the region’s chief executive yesterday.
The 70-member council voted 28-8 against the proposal to democratise the election of the chief executive.
Most of the members in favour were absent at the time of the vote, but this was a moot point since the proposal needed a two-thirds majority of 47 votes to pass.
The role, which replaced that of the British colonial governor in 1997, is elected by a committee drawn from special interest groups including industry, commerce and labour.
The size of the committee has been increased from 400 in 1996 to 1,200 now. The directly elected council has members from 17 parties plus three independents.
Hong Kong was hit by mass “pro-democracy” student protests against the proposal last year, with demonstrators objecting that candidates would have to be approved by central government.
