HK moves toward true universal suffrage

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will submit its constitutional reform plan to the Legislative Council on Wednesday. The first Hong Kong chief executive (CE) was chosen by a selection committee and appointed by the central government. Since the second term, the CE has been chosen by the Election Committee and all of them appointed by the central government.

The selection committee and Election Committee represent the progress the SAR has made since Hong Kong's reunification with the motherland in 1997, but they still don't meet all the requirements of universal suffrage.

According to Article 45 of Hong Kong's Basic Law, the goal of the constitutional reform is the selection of the CE through universal suffrage after being nominated by a broadly representative Nomination Committee in accordance with democratic procedures. The most important goal of universal suffrage is to grant every voter in Hong Kong the right to vote.