2010 Hong Kong by-elections
The existing electoral arrangement, which allows a person belonging to a stipulated sector to control more than one vote, has been denounced by Human Rights Monitor as "highly corrupt".On 18 November 2009, based on the NPCSC decision, the Hong Kong Government published the Consultation Document on the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the LegCo in 2012, which the Government said showed its determination to advance Hong Kong's democratic development in 2012, and to pave way for universal suffrage elections of the Chief Executive and the Legislature as resolved by the NPCSC.[21][22] An editorial in the SCMP said that while the Basic Law did not expressly rule out or permit referendums, Beijing's statement that the elections are unconstitutional has "dignified the ill-conceived resignation plan by treating it as a matter of constitutional significance."[24] Priscilla Leung said she planned to introduce a private member's bill into the Legislative Council soon, to limit the ability of members to resign,[20] which Ronny Tong said would contravene the Basic Law, and infringe upon the right to stand for elections protected under Article 26; he stated that it would be inconsistent with Article 74 for an individual legislator to table bills relating to the political structure.[25] On 10 February, the constitutional affairs panel of LegCo passed a non-binding motion calling on the government to amend election bylaws, barring anyone who has resigned from standing for re-election.[2] The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) and the Liberal Party have not decided whether to approve the LegCo budget for the election.[26] Wong Kwok-hing of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions moved the amendment to scrap the HK$147 million funding for the by-election, criticising the two parties for their "farce."[27] Albert Ho said it was merely a political expression testing public opinion, and challenged those loyal to Beijing, saying that they should support "upgrad[ing] it to a real referendum.[20] The five resigned pan-democrats had hoped to give a valedictory speech in the Legislative Council, but were prevented from doing so by a walk-out by pro-Beijing lawmakers, who denounced them as "those pushing for 'Hong Kong Independence'".[29] Campaign slogan and advertisement by LSD and Civic party calling for "uprising of the people" (全民起義),[28][30] attracted media attention and the ire of Beijing.She said anyone who has studied Chinese history would know that the word "uprising" convey an image of revolution, blood, and violence and that it would make people think of social turmoil, hardship and chaos.[34] Eu said that the 4 Chinese characters do not refer to a violent revolution and that the resignation is not a ploy to seek independence of Hong Kong;[20] Wong Yuk-man emphasised it as a "peaceful uprising".[35] Gordon Wu said the Civic Party and the LSD were destabilising Hong Kong by resigning, and likened the call for people to rise up to action taken by red guards during the Cultural Revolution.[38] Civic Party's Alan Leong, celebrating his birthday on a street election campaign, said he was disappointed by several public remarks by Stephen Lam regarding the by-elections."[39] In March, the LSD published an open letter condemning Ronny Tong for betraying his fellow pan-democrats (and not supporting the referendum plan), and bitterly attacked him personally.The Standard said the LSD was "doing its very best to rile Tong to create an imagery of confrontation between referendum advocates and pan-democratic moderates" in order to rekindle media interest.The candidates all endorsed the cause of the Civic Party and the League of Social Democrats, but their platform consists of continuing to press for universal suffrage in both the chief executive and Legislative Council elections in 2012.James Tien and his brother Michael indicated their interest, but DAB vice-chairman Ip Kwok-him said there were divergent views within his party and that they would only take part in the by-elections if they are not seen as a referendum.Unveiling the proposal, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam cited the practice elsewhere: "In some countries where the proportional representation (PR) system is adopted, by-elections are not used to fill vacant seats arising mid-term."[75] The Bar Association issued four strongly worded public warnings within two weeks of the first announcement of the plan, expressing concern over the constitutionality of the proposals, particularly the reasonableness on restrictions on the right to participation.
Geographical ConstituenciesLegislative CouncilAudrey EuCrystal ChowTertiary 2012Five Constituencies ReferendumTanya ChanWong Yuk-manAlan LeongAlbert ChanLeung Kwok-hungPoliticsgovernmentBasic LawDrafting CommitteeConsultative CommitteeArticle 232020 law2024 lawArticle 45Article 46Article 69One country, two systemsSino–British Joint DeclarationCriminal lawCapital punishment in Hong KongCriminal procedureJury systemLaw enforcement in Hong KongHuman rightsLGBT rights in Hong KongInternet censorship in Hong KongExecutiveChief ExecutiveJohn LeeOffice of the Chief ExecutiveCommittee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSARPrincipal officialsChief SecretaryEric ChanFinancial SecretaryPaul ChanSecretary for JusticePaul LamExecutive CouncilRegina IpGovernment SecretariatGovernment agenciesCivil Service BureauConstitutional and Mainland Affairs BureauRegistration and Electoral OfficeCulture, Sports and Tourism BureauLeisure and Cultural Services DepartmentEducation BureauEnvironment and Ecology BureauEnvironmental Protection DepartmentAgriculture, Fisheries and Conservation DepartmentFood and Environmental Hygiene DepartmentHong Kong ObservatoryHealth BureauDepartment of HealthHome and Youth Affairs BureauHome Affairs DepartmentInformation Services DepartmentLabour and Welfare BureauSocial Welfare DepartmentSecurity BureauHong Kong Police ForceHong Kong Fire Services DepartmentCorrectional Services DepartmentCustoms and Excise DepartmentImmigration DepartmentGovernment Flying ServiceCivil Aid ServiceAuxiliary Medical ServiceTransport and Logistics BureauTransport DepartmentCivil Aviation DepartmentHighways DepartmentMarine DepartmentHousing BureauHousing DepartmentCommerce and Economic Development BureauInvest Hong KongOffice of the Communications AuthorityPost OfficeTrade and Industry DepartmentRadio Television Hong KongDevelopment BureauArchitectural Services DepartmentBuildings DepartmentCivil Engineering and Development DepartmentDrainage Services DepartmentElectrical and Mechanical Services DepartmentLands DepartmentLand RegistryWater Supplies DepartmentFinancial Services and the Treasury BureauCensus and Statistics DepartmentCompanies RegistryGovernment Logistics DepartmentGovernment Property AgencyInland Revenue DepartmentOfficial Receiver's OfficeInnovation, Technology and Industry BureauEfficiency OfficeOffice of the Government Chief Information OfficerInnovation and Technology CommissionHong Kong Civil ServiceAdministrative OfficerPolitical Appointments SystemPresidentAndrew LeungList of Members of the Legislative CouncilPro-Beijing campPro-democracy campLocalist campJudiciaryCourt of Final AppealChief JusticeAndrew CheungHigh CourtChief JudgeJeremy PoonCourt of AppealCourt of First Instance