NDI is working to support political reform in Hong Kong, including strengthening political parties and civil society organizations. While civil liberties continue to be upheld in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), there has been limited progress toward direct elections for the Chief Executive and the LegCo, which the Basic Law allows for as early as 2007. The executive is not accountable to the public through direct elections since the Chief Executive (CE) is elected by a select group of 800 individuals who form the Election Committee. The "executive-led" government has not built a strong relationship with any of the political parties in the Legislative Council (LegCo), Hong Kong's legislature. The LegCo has relatively narrow powers with no role in forming a government. In addition, only half of the LegCo is elected through universal suffrage.
Political Situation
On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty, beginning its fundamentally important experiment with "one country, two systems." Since the handover, the international community has monitored respect for Hong Kong's "high degree of autonomy" and democratic reforms as called for under the Basic Law (Hong Kong's mini-constitution).
Pro-democracy activists had hoped that universal suffrage would apply to the 2007 CE and 2008 LegCo elections, following a prescribed 10-year transition period after the handover as outlined under the Basic Law. However, in April 2004, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (SCNPC) in Beijing issued an interpretation of the Basic Law that ruled out universal suffrage for Hong Kong in the 2007 and 2008 elections. The SCNPC pointed out that the Basic Law does not specify a time frame for universal suffrage in Hong Kong; rather, it states that universal suffrage for electing the CE and entire LegCo is the ultimate aim, but will be based on the "actual situation" and "the principle of gradual and orderly progress."
In September 2004, in accordance with the schedule set out in the Basic Law, Hong Kong citizens directly elected 30 of the 60 legislators in the LegCo, up from only 24 in the previous election. The remaining 30 legislators were elected through functional constituencies, which represent various special interest sectors. The 2004 elections exemplify how elections in the HKSAR do not meet international standards. The government framework and limited voter rights established by the Basic Law provides for a system that effectively concentrates political power in the hands of economic and political elites. As a result, the election system hinders the ability of citizens to influence who controls the government, the LegCo, and government policy.
On March 10, 2005, CE Tung Chee-hwa resigned citing health reasons, with over two years remaining in his second term. The Election Committee was scheduled to elect the next CE on July 10, 2005. However, when former Chief Secretary Donald Tsang emerged from the nomination period in June as the sole candidate, an election was no longer necessary according to Hong Kong's laws, and the process ended at the nomination stage with Tsang as the new CE. Pro-democracy advocates and legislators had protested the Hong Kong government's position that Tung's successor should only serve out the remaining two years of the former CE's five-year term as the Basic Law makes no provision for a CE to serve fewer than five years.
Current Activities
Since 1997, NDI has conducted a series of assessment missions to Hong Kong to consider the development of the HKSAR's "post-reversion" election framework, the status of autonomy, rule of law and civil liberties under Chinese sovereignty, and the prospects for democratization beyond the 10-year transition period set forth in the Basic Law. In 2002, NDI established a field office in Hong Kong.
In conjunction with the assessment missions, NDI has published an ongoing series entitled, "The Promise of Democratization in Hong Kong," that assesses the prospects for the development of a democratic electoral framework and identifies the obstacles that impede further democratization in Hong Kong.
NDI works with political parties and civil society organizations to encourage public discussion and debate on political reform. The Institute shares information with and provides technical assistance to Hong Kong political parties, political groups, and civil society organizations seeking to increase their ability to increase citizen participation in the HKSAR's political life. NDI does not provide funding to any political party or political group in Hong Kong.
Since 2002, NDI has provided technical assistance to Hong Kong's political parties and political groups to address issues such as: membership recruitment; media relations; communicating with constituents; voter contact; and fundraising. Through multi-party and single-party workshops, as well as consultations with party leaders, NDI has worked with all of the HKSAR's major parties to discuss the external political environment and the parties' internal structural weaknesses. Participating parties and political groups have included the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the Democratic Party, the Liberal Party, The Frontier, the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance, the Citizens Party, and the Article 45 Concern Group. In 2005, NDI initiated a six-month young political leaders program focused on training a core group of rising party and political group members in political communications skills. In 2005, NDI commenced a training program for young political leaders, and in 2006, NDI launched a training program for candidates for the 2007 District Council elections.
In addition, NDI has sponsored professional public opinion polls by the University of Hong Kong's (HKU) Public Opinion Programme to assist Hong Kong's parties in determining public perceptions about political parties and various political issues in the HKSAR. NDI continues to seek to improve the standards of polls that the parties use to inform their policies and platforms. In 2006, NDI commissioned a similar poll conducted by the Hong Kong Transition Project at Baptist University linking public opinions on political parties and attitudes toward governance.
