By Joseph Li (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-01-04 09:20

The process for electing Hong Kong deputies to the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) was set in motion yesterday as the election committee fixed tomorrow as the nomination commencement date.

Sheng Huaren (left), vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Chief Executive Donald Tsang, and Alice Cheung (right) meet with the members of the election committee at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre yesterday. [China Daily]

The five-yearly election of local deputies to the country's highest legislative body will take place on January 25. The committee announced the date at its first meeting, which was chaired by NPC Standing Committee vice-chairman Sheng Huaren.

The election committee unanimously elected Chief Executive Donald Tsang as executive chairman of the committee's presidium and Lee Cho-jat as spokesman. Their appointments were endorsed by 988 of the 1,034 election committee members present at the meeting.

Sheng told those in attendance that members of the election committee come from all walks of life, thus making it a widely representative grouping.

He said he hopes that the electors live up to people's expections by voting only for those who support the constitution, the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the principle of "One Country, Two Systems", as well as those who love the country and Hong Kong.

At a press conference after the meeting, the presidium spokesman outlined the necessary qualifications for seeking NPC membership. To qualify, a candidate must be a Chinese citizen, be at least 18 years old and be a permanent resident of Hong Kong. And to be an eligible contender, one must then secure at least 10 nominations from election committee members.

Those standards are the same for election committee members who wish to run in the election. They must also be nominated by no fewer than 10 other electors.

Asked why there is no preliminary election this time around, Lee said the NPC made the decision in light of the fact that there are no preliminary elections in the Chief Executive, Legislative Council and District Council elections.

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