CRI听力:HK Political Reform to be Tabled to Legco on June 17

According to the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam, the proposals tabled to the Legislative Council will be unchanged from those unveiled in April.

"We are going to submit the proposal on June 17th for deliberation and vote. The government still has two weeks to continue our endeavor to get the support from 70 lawmakers at the Legislative Council."

According to the procedure, the Legislative Council needs to be informed of the proposal 12 clear days before the meeting. It is expected to take another two or three days for debate on the plan before the vote.

The vice-chairman of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies Lau Siu-kai remain pessimistic about the passage of the bill as some lawmakers have repeatedly vowed to veto it.

"Anything could happen in politics. I am reserved that some lawmakers would change their mind the last minute after balancing the short and long term pros and cons. The central government is hoping to have channels to communicate and work with the opposition even if the reform cannot be passed. They hope the political situation in Hong Kong could be improved."

Chief Executive CY Leung has again called on both lawmakers and citizens to make rational choices.

"I hope every one could be calm and objective to make rational choices based on the facts and laws. The common appeals in politics, economy and livelihood cannot be ignored. We are at a critical moment in our democratic development."

He has reiterated that civic nomination is inconsistent with the Basic Law and that only a nominating committee has the power to put forward a candidate for the Chief Executive election.

He has also stressed that the central government will not give way on the reform package for the 2017 election.

It requires two thirds of votes to pass the proposal, which means that 47 out of 70 lawmakers at the Legislative Council. It is speculated that four or five votes short to pass the reform plan at the moment.

For CRI, this is Li Jing in Hong Kong.