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Election restructuring|The Legislative Council election was held on December 19, inciting others not to vote, voting in vain is also illegal

2021-04-13T10:02:05.321Z


The Legislative Council will first read the "Improvement of the Electoral System (Comprehensive Amendment) Bill 2021" tomorrow (14). The content of the draft will be released today (13). The Legislative Council is divided into 10 districts and Hong Kong Island is divided into "Hong Kong Island".


Political situation

Written by: Luo Jiaqing, Lin Jian, Peng Zhuowei, Zhou Haoyi, Wu Zhuoan

2021-04-13 15:50

Last update date: 2021-04-13 17:54

The Legislative Council will first read the "Improvement of the Electoral System (Comprehensive Amendment) Bill 2021" tomorrow (14). The content of the draft will be released today (13). The Legislative Council is divided into 10 districts for direct elections and Hong Kong Island is divided into "Hong Kong Island East" And "Hong Kong Island West", outlying islands will be merged with Central and Western District into "Hong Kong Island West"; Kowloon will be divided into 3 districts: East, Central and West; and the New Territories will be divided into 5 districts, each occupying two seats.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam held a press conference at 4 pm to introduce. The Secretary for Justice Zheng Ruohua, the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Zeng Guowei, and the Permanent Secretary Tang Renguang attended the conference.

▼Key points of the draft amendments to the election ▼

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[17:48] A reporter asked whether the government will regard the rate of unqualified votes or the level of turnout as an indicator of public opinion, and the sectors that have the right to elect electoral committees, such as the social welfare sector. Whether the representativeness of committees and balanced participation are sufficient.

Carrie Lam said that the turnout rate is affected by many factors, and it should not be simply assumed that a high turnout rate will lead to a fair and successful election.

She said that after more than a year of epidemic in future elections, she believes that the epidemic will dominate citizens' voting.

She emphasized that this amendment only requires candidates to be patriots, and is confident that this system, which lists "designated groups", can achieve broad representation and balanced participation. If a sector is all contested by people with the same opinion, It also fails to reflect the interests of the entire sector, and believes that it should not be simply defined by the establishment or non-establishment.

Provisions outside the house to incitement to vote in vain are also illegal

[17:36] Carrie Lam said that if the chief executive seeks re-election, he will not participate in the discussions of the National Security Committee. When asked why he was not included in the regulations?

Lin Zheng pointed out that the purpose of this statement is to take one step further, hoping to eliminate bad perceptions, but she believes that if she is afraid of being accused of conflicts of interest and obliterating the functions of the chief executive, it does not meet the chief executive's accountability requirements.

Lam Cheng said that it is necessary to believe that the chief executive is not arbitrary. The National Security Council has ten members and consultants, and the chief executive is not a member of the Council. She emphasized that if the chief executive is elected, all posts will be removed, which is not a good arrangement for Hong Kong.

I was asked if it is an offence to instigate others to vote in vain or invalidate a vote in a public event, how should "public event" be defined?

Zheng Ruohua said that there are three main aspects. First, if someone communicates to the public, it is illegal, such as broadcasting a film to the public. Second, if the public observes their behavior, if someone puts up a clause outside the house to instigate a vain vote or an invalid vote, etc. It is an offence; third, it is an offence to distribute materials to the public, such as any electronic publication.

Zeng Guowei denies the regulation of unqualified votes to guarantee the voter turnout

[17:19] When asked why it is a problem to appeal to others to vote in vain, Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said that the additional crimes of inciting others not to vote and voting in vain originated from Annexes 1 and 2 of the Basic Law. In order to prevent someone from manipulating the election, based on past election experience, It is considered necessary to make this modification.

She emphasized that the relevant provisions prohibit anyone from inciting others to vote in public activities, and that closed doors will not be supervised.

she says.

Government elections can be conducted fairly, and election manipulation should not be allowed.

Zeng Guowei pointed out that someone in the society intends to sabotage the election, which reduces the credibility of the election. He emphasized that it has nothing to do with the election turnout. The amendment is to ensure that the election will not be sabotaged and manipulated.

The Secretary of Justice Zheng Ruohua stated that anyone who violates the "Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance" will be sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison. He also emphasized that as a citizen of society, he is responsible for voting.

As for whether there will be conflicts of interest when the Chief Executive appoints the Council, Carrie Lam pointed out that the Chief Executive and principal officials also face potential conflicts of interest every day, but Hong Kong has a sound declaration system. If conflicts of interest are involved, they will first make a declaration.

She also pointed out that she understood that if the current chief executive wishes to be re-elected, the National Security Committee under her leadership can participate in the affairs of the Council, DQ candidates, or cause conflicts of interest. Therefore, she has laid down rules. If the current chief executive seeks re-election, she should not Participate in the discussion of the qualification review meeting.

Zheng Ruohua: It is illegal to distribute and disseminate vote-voting materials to the public

[17:05] A reporter asked that the members of the Qualification Examination Committee are from the principal officials referred to in Article 48(5) of the Basic Law, including the chiefs of disciplinary forces such as the Commissioner of Police and the Commissioner of Customs, and asked about them Are the ranks of the staff commensurate with the powers of the Qualification Review Committee?

Lin Zheng responded by saying that the work of the National Security Council includes the review of the National Security Agency. From this perspective, the head of the disciplined force is fully capable and qualified to do it, and they are all members of the National Security Council.

Regarding the principles under which members of the public will be appointed as members of the Qualifications Review Committee, Lam Cheng said that the main consideration is their ability, integrity, and most importantly, they must be patriots. She believes that it is not difficult to find members to assist officials in the work of the Qualification Review Committee.

What are the penalties for the government's regulations to manipulate and sabotage elections?

The Secretary of Justice Zheng Ruohua said that the government takes measures to prevent anyone from inciting non-voting or invalidating votes in public activities. She said that if someone communicates to the public, allows the public to observe the actions or actions, and distributes materials to the public Etc. are all illegal.

Zheng Ruohua emphasized that if there are legal restrictions and reasonable excuses, there will be defenses.

The government proposes that inciting others not to vote, to vote in vain or to invalidate votes in public activities is an illegal act.

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[16:57] Lin Zheng emphasized that the government is willing to make amendments after listening to opinions from all walks of life, including extending the voter registration date and appointing members of the public to join the review committee.

Regarding the alleged lack of credibility of officials serving as qualified review committee members, Lam Cheng said that the approach may not be very good, but she affirms and guarantees that civil servants are very fair and fair.

Carrie Lam also said that if the public does not support electoral reform, the bill will not make much sense for the Legislative Council to pass it. Therefore, the government will give a public explanation and introduction on this matter.

[16:45] Carrie Lam said that in the past two weeks, the directors of various departments held a total of 117 symposiums, which were considered to be effective. Later, the second stage of public commentary will be entered. I believe it will be interviewed by the Bills Committee of the Legislative Council and the media. Wait for an explanation until the regulations are passed.

The third stage is the voter registration period, and the fourth stage is the election period, so that candidates and their teams understand the details and norms of the election.

The Permanent Secretary of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau Tang Renguang said that the government changed the direct election of districts to 10 districts, and based on the population base of each district and the undivided electoral districts. The practice is the same as the working principles of the EAC.

He emphasized that it will not affect the work of the 18 District Offices. Only Sha Tin, Yuen Long and Wong Tai Sin Districts need to be cut due to overpopulation.

The Qualification Examination Committee will join a number of members of the public



[16:30] Carrie Lam said that after the electoral system is revised, the voting methods of the Legislative Council will be divided into three categories. The election committee sector will vote by unanimous vote, and each election committee must cast 40 votes. The 40 people who get the most votes are elected; the functional constituency follows the traditional principle of the winner with the most votes; the district direct election adopts the "double-seat single-vote system". In 10 districts, each district elects two members, each voter One vote is available.

Regarding the Candidate Qualifications Committee, Carrie Lam said that the committee will have a chairman and 2 to 4 members appointed by the Chief Executive. Only the principal officials mentioned in Article 48(5) of the Basic Law are eligible to serve as members. .

However, she mentioned that she has noticed that there are voices in the community questioning the lack of credibility of government officials alone as members of the Council. Therefore, the government will later propose amendments to include a number of members of the community.

Lam Cheng pointed out that the bill will amend the Election (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance to include two new offences, including that anyone who uses public activities to incite others not to vote, cast a vain vote, or cast a vote during the election period is illegal. Behavior; Anyone deliberately obstructing or preventing another person from voting in an election is committing fraud.

Adding a "Caring Team" for the elderly and pregnant women

[16:23] Lin Zheng pointed out that in order to facilitate the voting of elderly or needy voters, the polling station director can set up a priority pick-up team at the polling station, including people aged 70 or above, pregnant women, and people with disabilities.

[16:20] Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said that the guild has passed the election reform comprehensive bill this morning, and has been approved by the President of the Legislative Council, Liang Junyan, to hold the first and second reading of the comprehensive draft tomorrow.

Lam Cheng pointed out that the draft is a very complicated bill with a lot of content in recent years. The Chinese version has more than 500 pages. A total of 8 main laws and 24 subsidiary laws need to be amended. The comprehensive bill can be completed within two weeks. It depends on the efforts of all parties. , First of all, I would like to thank the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for providing clear and specific content so that the Hong Kong Government can implement and reflect the relevant details. I also thank the leadership team of the Department of Justice for working around the clock.

Lam Cheng said that it is already clear that the general election of the Legislative Council will not be held in September this year. Therefore, the law proposed by the "Emergency Law" must be amended to extend the election from September 5 to December 19.

Lin Zheng held a press conference with the Secretary General.

(Photo by Zheng Zifeng)

All government officials appointed by the Chief Executive

According to the brief description of the government's "Draft Notes on Improving the Electoral System", the Election Committee subsector will be held in September 19, the seventh legislative council will be held on December 19, and the chief executive election will be held on March 27 next year.

The new election committee will be formed on October 22, 2021, with a term of 5 years.

As for the establishment of the qualification review committee, the Ordinance stipulates that the chairman and members shall be appointed by the chief executive, and only the principal officials referred to in Article 48(5) of the Basic Law are eligible to serve as members, namely the director, deputy director, director, Commissioner of Independent Commission Against Corruption, Director of Audit, Commissioner of Police, Commissioner of Immigration and Commissioner of Customs.

In addition, the government will amend the "Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance" to regulate election manipulation and sabotage in accordance with the regulations. It is recommended that anyone who uses public activities to incite others not to vote, cast unqualified or invalid votes during the election period Committing an illegal act; anyone who deliberately obstructs or prevents another person from voting in an election is an act of fraud.

Electoral Restructuring | Lam Cheng: Inciting voters to vote in vain collectively or involving election manipulation will be regulated by legislation

Election restructuring | Qiu Tenghua meets the publishing industry to effectively solve the pan-politicization dilemma Huo Qigang attends

Election restructuring|Chen Hongyi expects fewer candidates to be elected by the DQ in the next legislative session with a large number of new faces

Electoral reform ︱ Liang Zhenying: The new system has been more "consultative" and democratic and only excludes anti-communist and anti-Chinese people

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Carrie Lam Election of Chief Executive of the Legislative Council Election of Zheng Ruohua Zeng Guowei at home

Source: hk1

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