The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The President of the Legislative Council (LegCo), Mr Andrew Leung, today (March 11) issued through the LegCo Secretariat the following statement in response to the passage of the Decision by the National People's Congress (NPC) on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR):
In response to the Decision adopted by NPC today on improving the electoral system of HKSAR, under which the Standing Committee of NPC (NPCSC) is entrusted to amend Annex I and Annex II to the Basic Law, the President expresses respect and support. He hopes that after NPCSC has completed the relevant amendments, the executive authorities of HKSAR will expeditiously present the draft local legislation to LegCo for scrutiny, so that the relevant elections can be held in an orderly manner in the next 12 months.
He also hopes that the Government could make efforts to explain the relevant bills clearly to LegCo Members and members of the public to ensure the smooth implementation of the new electoral system.
The President stresses that the purpose of improving the electoral system is to ensure that Hong Kong is administered by patriots, and to prevent the occurrence of events which will endanger national security and sovereignty, and undermine the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. As Hong Kong is a pluralistic and inclusive city, it is only natural that there are diverse views in both the community and in the legislature. After the constitutional order has been rationalised, individuals and political parties of various political beliefs will be represented in the legislature, which will better reflect the overall interests of Hong Kong and perform its constitutional functions of monitoring the Government for the well-being of the people of Hong Kong.
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