The draft methods for electing national legislators from
China's Hong Kong
and Macao special administrative regions (SAR) were submitted on
Thursday to the Fifth Session of the Tenth National People's
Congress (NPC), the top legislature, for examination.
The Hong Kong SAR will have 36 members in the 11th NPC, and
Macao will have 12 members. The figures are the same as those in
the current tenth NPC, according to the drafts.
"The draft methods have drawn experience from previous elections
and will simplify election procedures," said Sheng Huaren, vice
chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, noting preliminary
elections will not be held this time.
An electoral conference comprising more than 1,300 people will
be formed in Hong Kong, who will have extensive representation of
local residents of various social sectors. Similarly, a 300-person
electoral conference will be set up in Macao for selecting the
region's 11th NPC deputies.
The elections will be held at the end of this year and early
next year, prior to the first session of the 11th NPC in March next
year.
Hong Kong and Macao residents who want to run for top
legislators should be nominated by at least ten members of the
local electoral conference, according to the draft methods.
In late 2002, the electoral conference for electing Hong Kong
SAR deputies to the tenth NPC was composed of 956 people, while the
conference for electing Macao's tenth NPC deputies consisted of 203
people.
The elections of the 11th NPC deputies from Hong Kong and Macao
will be held under the supervision of the NPC Standing
Committee.
(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2007)