China Delays Hong Kong Elections

By Donald Greenlees and Keith Bradsher | The New York Times
December 30, 2007

Chinese officials announced Saturday that Hong Kong would have to wait at least another decade for democratic elections to select its leader, and for more than 12 years to have the right to directly elect the entire legislature.

The decision is the latest in a series of setbacks for the democracy aspirations of Hong Kong residents, and another sign that Beijing's current leaders have scant appetite for experimenting with greater public participation in political decision-making.

The Basic Law, the mini-Constitution imposed by China on Hong Kong after Britain returned the city to Chinese rule in 1997, raises the prospect of choosing Hong Kong leaders starting in 2007 by the principle of one person, one vote. But having already decided in 2004 to postpone universal suffrage until at least 2012, Beijing's leaders took the next step on Saturday of postponing action for at least five years after that.

Donald Tsang, the current chief executive who is Hong Kong's leader, plans to retire in 2012.

That has raised the prospect of a struggle among pro-Beijing political groups at that time over who might succeed him.

Pushing back even the possibility of universal suffrage until 2017 means that whoever succeeds Mr. Tsang would probably be running for re-election and would have all the advantages of an incumbent.

Delaying action until 2017 also means that Beijing's current leaders would leave the problem of how to handle Hong Kong to their successors, which will be chosen in 2012, as President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao are both expected to retire in early 2013.

The Chinese government's timetable for democratic reform in Hong Kong follows a decision by the Standing Committee of China's Parliament, the National People's Congress, to reject universal suffrage there in 2012, a timetable that opinion polls suggested is favored by a majority of the people of Hong Kong.

The earliest voters would be entitled to elect the chief executive by popular vote is now 2017. They must wait until 2020 before possibly having the opportunity to vote for the entire 60-seat Legislative Council.

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