ENG-2007 — Page 43

Constitution and Administration | 11

accordance with the Basic Law. In the course of the first six months after the third-term Government had been formed in July 2007, the Government issued the Green Paper on Constitutional Development to consult the public on the models, roadmap and timetable for implementing universal suffrage, published the Report on the Green Paper Public Consultation, and submitted the report to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) to request confirmation that the methods for selecting the Chief Executive and for forming the Legislative Council in 2012 may be amended.

Having considered the Chief Executive's report, the NPCSC promulgated a decision on December 29, 2007 making it clear that the Chief Executive may be elected by universal suffrage in 2017 and that Legislative Council may be formed by universal suffrage in 2020. The NPCSC has made a positive response to the democratic aspirations of the people of Hong Kong. This decision is welcomed by the HKSAR Government, different political parties, different sectors and the wider community.

The decision has a broad basis in public support. Half of all Legislative Council members support that universal suffrage for the Chief Executive should be implemented first by no later than 2017, in 2017 or after 2017, and that universal suffrage for Legislative Council should follow thereafter; motions have been passed in more than two-thirds of all District Councils supporting that universal suffrage for the Chief Executive should be implemented first by no later than 2017 or in 2017, and that universal suffrage for Legislative Council should follow thereafter; about 60 per cent of the public accept implementation of universal suffrage for the Chief Executive in 2017, if this cannot be attained in 2012; more than 150 000 signatures received from the public have indicated support for implementing universal suffrage for the Chief Executive by no later than 2017, in 2017 or after 2017.

The NPCSC's decision has also determined that appropriate amendments conforming to the principle of gradual and orderly progress may be made to the two electoral methods in 2012. The Chief Executive announced on December 29, 2007 that a task group on constitutional development would be formed under the Commission on Strategic Development after the Chinese New Year in 2008 to study how the two electoral methods for 2012 should be amended, paving the way for attaining universal suffrage for the Chief Executive in 2017, and for the Legislative Council in 2020.

Electoral System for the District Councils

Eighteen District Councils were established in the HKSAR to advise the Government on district affairs and to promote recreational and cultural activities, and environmental improvements within the districts. A District Council is composed of elected members, appointed members, and, in the case of District Councils in rural areas, the chairmen of rural committees as ex officio members. The simple majority voting system is adopted for elections. For the second-term councils (2004-07), the HKSAR was divided into 400 constituencies, each represented by one elected member. Having regard to the increase in population in certain districts, five elected seats were added for the third-term councils (2008-11), resulting in a total of