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The establishment of the Legislative Council and its terms of reference
The Legislative Council will comprise about 60 members, 40
percent of whom are returned by direct election and 30 percent by
functional constituencies, while the remaining 30 percent are members
possessing professional qualifications elected by the Executive Advisory
Council. The Legislative Council's terms of reference are: to supervise
the work of the executive body, to raise questions, to collect public
opinion, to examine and approve the budget and to enact and amend
legislation. Ad hoc committees will be set up under the Legislative
Council. These committees will conduct studies on various issues,
rectify the work of government departments and give constructive
comments. If they are not satisfied with the work of a certain
department, they can cast a vote of non-confidence and propose to the
chief executive to have the officer concerned replaced. The chief
executive can retain the department head under criticism but will
have to furnish an explanation for his decision. Members of the
Legislative Council should serve on a full-time basis and be paid for
their services. Their term of office is four years and they can seek
re-election for up to two terms. Their ages should range between 25
and 65. The laws enacted by the legislature must be in line with the
Basic Law and legal procedures in order to be valid.
Judiciary
,
The courts of the Special Administrative Region will exercise
their judicial power independentAN without interference from the
executive body and Legislative Council as well as the Central Government.
Members of the judiciary w not be legally responsible for the
rulings that they pronounce. Court judges serve until the age of 60 and cannot be removed from office before retirement age unless they
fail to discharge their duties for reasons of poor health or misconduct,
in which case the chief executive will act upon the recommendation of
a tribunal comprising no fewer than three local judges appointed by
the chief judge of the court of final appeal. The appointment or
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