¡¡¡¡HONG KONG, June 16 (Xinhuanet) -- The Returning Officer for the Chief
Executive Election, Justice Carlye Chu, announced on Thursday that Donald Tsang
was the sole valid candidate in the Chief Executive election of the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and has automatical
ly become the Chief
Executive designate.
¡¡¡¡She announced that the two-week nomination period, which started on June 3,
closed at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.
¡¡¡¡On March 12, the central government approved Tung Chee Hwa's request for
resignation as HKSAR Chief Executive because of health reasons.
¡¡¡¡Under the Basic Law and the provisions of the HKSAR's relevant laws, Hong
Kong should elect a new chief executive before July 10.
¡¡¡¡On May 25, Donald Tsang announced he would run for the CE election and
submitted to the State Council, China's cabinet, his resignation as Chief
Secretary for Administration.
¡¡¡¡After the State Council approved his resignation request on June 2, Tsang
formally stated running for the CE election and made public his policy blueprint
for Hong Kong.
¡¡¡¡According to the Article 44 of the Basic Law, the Chief Executive of HKSAR
shall be a Chinese citizen of not less then 40 years of age who is a permanent
resident of the region with no right of abode in any foreign country and has
ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than 20
years.
¡¡¡¡The Annex I of the Basic Law stipulates that the Chief Executive shall be
elected by a broadly representative Election Committee in accordance with that
law and appointed by the Central People's Government.
¡¡¡¡The Election Committee shall be composed of 800 members from the following
sectors: industrial, commercial and financial sectors as well as the
professions, labor, social services, religious sectors.
¡¡¡¡The committee also includes members of the Legislative Council,
representatives of district-based organizations, Hong Kong deputies to the
National People's Congress (NPC) and
¡¡¡¡representatives of the Hong Kong members of the National Committee of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
¡¡¡¡Candidates for the office of Chief Executive may be nominated jointly by
not less than 100 members of the Election Committee. Each member may nominate
only one candidate.
¡¡¡¡If there is only one valid candidate in the Chief Executive election of the
HKSAR, the Returning Officer of the Registration and Electoral Office of the
HKSAR government shall announce the candidate will automatically become the
Chief Executive designate.
¡¡¡¡The Election Committee shall, on the basis of the list of nominees, elect
the Chief Executive designate by secret ballot on a one-person-one-vote basis.
¡¡¡¡The term of office of the Chief Executive of the HUSKER shall be five
years. He or she may serve for more than two consecutive terms.
¡¡¡¡The Standing Committee of the NPC, China's top legislature, adopted on
April 27, 2005 the interpretation on Clause 2, Article 53 of the Basic Law,
setting that the term of the office of the next HKSAR Chief Executive shall be
the remaining part left by the previous CE, when the office of the CE becomes
vacant before the five-year-term expires.
¡¡¡¡According to the interpretation, the tenure of the currently by-elected CE
will be two years, the remainder of the term of office of the second-term CE.
Enditem
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