Hong Kong, April 23 (IANS): The Hong Kong government on Wednesday revealed a detailed plan for the 2017 election of the special administrative region's (SAR) next leader by universal suffrage, drawing support from the central government and a majority of residents.
Candidates for the next SAR chief executive will be picked by a 1,200-member nominating committee from four social sectors consisting of 38 sub-sectors, which is similar to the election committee for the current chief executive in 2012, said Carrie Lam, chief secretary for administration of HKSAR, Xinhua news agency reported.
Lam delivered the plan to lawmakers at the SAR's Legislative Council.
He described the first ever universal suffrage in Hong Kong history as "not only a great leap forward for Hong Kong's constitutional development, but also a historic moment for our country".