Election Committee
Encyclopedia
The Election Committee is an 800-member electoral college
in the politics
of Hong Kong
. It was established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Hong Kong. This article defines the method of electing the Chief Executive. It is renewed every five years when the sitting Chief Executive
's term has expired. The body is then used to select the new Chief Executive.
is applied to choose the members, as was common in the United States
before the modern practice of voting only for a set slate or ticket of electors was established.
The allocation of seats is as follows.
The 800 members contain 664 nominated from the sectors of the economy, 40 from the religious organizations, and 96 ex officio members taken from the government.
In late 2009, the Government published details of the Election Committee, and its electoral base:
Since the electors must serve for no more than five years, a new election is due to occur, and the Chief Executive resignation would cause an interesting matter of timing, as to whether the old or new college of electors selects the new Chief Executive.
The EC elections have been quite irregular. They were held in 1998 and 2000, but none (except for the 2002 by-election
) have been held since. Former Financial Secretary and Chief Secretary Donald Tsang
became the new Chief Executive election on 16 June 2005 following Tung Chee-Hwa's resignation on March 12, and since electoral law states that an election must be held within 120 days of the vacancy, an election would have to be held on the tenth of July at the latest.
is held on a later date. It is rather unclear what would happen in the case of a 400-400 tie, since the constitution does not state any tie-breaker formats. Inauguration Day is set at Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
, July 1, with the elections being held on a date determined by the sitting Chief Executive anytime in the six months prior to this date.
The choice of each of the 800 members must be publicly declared their preferred choice within the two-week nomination period. According to Ohmynews: "Its very design causes the discourse of democracy to get bandied about as though it were a legitimate feature of the process. Thus, the media reports on an 'election campaign' when only 800 individuals are allowed to vote, or refers to Tsang, Beijing's choice, as a "candidate" when the possibility of his failing is a non-starter. The euphemism, 'small-circle election' is also repeatedly employed to refer to what in reality is a thoroughly undemocratic process."
Electoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
in the politics
Politics of Hong Kong
Politics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by its constitutional document, the Basic Law of Hong Kong, its own legislature, the Chief Executive as the head of government, and of a multi-party system...
of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It was established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Hong Kong. This article defines the method of electing the Chief Executive. It is renewed every five years when the sitting Chief Executive
Chief Executive of Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...
's term has expired. The body is then used to select the new Chief Executive.
Choosing the Members of the Election Committee
Each of the twenty-eight functional constituencies receives a set number of electoral votes allocated to them. The block votePlurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
is applied to choose the members, as was common in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
before the modern practice of voting only for a set slate or ticket of electors was established.
The allocation of seats is as follows.
The 800 members contain 664 nominated from the sectors of the economy, 40 from the religious organizations, and 96 ex officio members taken from the government.
In late 2009, the Government published details of the Election Committee, and its electoral base:
Since the electors must serve for no more than five years, a new election is due to occur, and the Chief Executive resignation would cause an interesting matter of timing, as to whether the old or new college of electors selects the new Chief Executive.
The EC elections have been quite irregular. They were held in 1998 and 2000, but none (except for the 2002 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
) have been held since. Former Financial Secretary and Chief Secretary Donald Tsang
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....
became the new Chief Executive election on 16 June 2005 following Tung Chee-Hwa's resignation on March 12, and since electoral law states that an election must be held within 120 days of the vacancy, an election would have to be held on the tenth of July at the latest.
2010 vote
After a nine-hour debate on the Consultation Document on the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the LegCo in 2012, the resolution which increases the size of the Election Committee in 2012 from 800 to 1,200 members, won endorsement at 2.20 pm on 24 June by the legislature by 46 votes to 13. Eight Pan-democrats supported the proposals.Choosing the Chief Executive
Each candidate must be validly and legally nominated to participate in the election. One of the requirements for eligibility is the nominations of at least 100 members of the Election Committee. Since each elector can only nominate one candidate, 701 signatures will guarantee election unopposed. The college of electors casts the official ballots for the office, with an absolute majority of the votes required to be elected. If no candidate receives an absolute majority, 401 votes as it currently stands, a runoffTwo-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
is held on a later date. It is rather unclear what would happen in the case of a 400-400 tie, since the constitution does not state any tie-breaker formats. Inauguration Day is set at Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day is celebrated every 1 July, in Hong Kong since 1997. The holiday commemorates the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special...
, July 1, with the elections being held on a date determined by the sitting Chief Executive anytime in the six months prior to this date.
The choice of each of the 800 members must be publicly declared their preferred choice within the two-week nomination period. According to Ohmynews: "Its very design causes the discourse of democracy to get bandied about as though it were a legitimate feature of the process. Thus, the media reports on an 'election campaign' when only 800 individuals are allowed to vote, or refers to Tsang, Beijing's choice, as a "candidate" when the possibility of his failing is a non-starter. The euphemism, 'small-circle election' is also repeatedly employed to refer to what in reality is a thoroughly undemocratic process."
Elections for the Chief Executive
- Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 1996Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 1996The first ever Hong Kong chief executive election was held on 11 December 1996. Since Hong Kong was then a British colony, election for the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China was held by the People's Republic of China authorities...
- Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2002Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2002The Hong Kong chief executive election in 2002 was the second time the Chief executive of Hong Kong was selected by an election. It is also the first selection under which the territory was part of the Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China...
- Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2005Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2005The Hong Kong Chief Executive election of 2005 was held to fill the vacancy of the territory's top office. Tung Chee Hwa submitted a resignation document to the Chinese government, and it was officially approved on 12 March. On 24 June, Donald Tsang was sworn in as the new Chief Executive on 16 June...
- Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2007Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2007An election was held on 25 March 2007 to select the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at AsiaWorld-Expo. The third Chief Executive term began on 1 July 2007...