Chief Executive of Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the highest executive official in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. The office came into being on July 1, 1997 with the transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China. Under British colonial rule, the top position was held by the Governor of Hong Kong. The current Chief Executive is Tung Chee Hwa.In order to become a candidate for the Chief Executive, he or she must be a permanent resident of Hong Kong over 40 years old, and have no foreign passports.
The Chief Executive serves a term of five years, and can only serve 2 terms. Currently the Chief Executive is elected by a 400 member electoral college consisting of Hong Kong residents selected by the government of the People's Republic of China. In addition, the elected Chief Executive must be approved by the Chinese Government. This selection method has been highly criticized as undemocratic. In 1997, Tung won 320 of the 400 votes from a field of four candidates. In 2002, Tung was the only candidate.
The Chief Executive can be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Whether the Chief Executive can be removed by the Beijing government is unclear.
Currently, one controversial topic is how the Chief Executive will be selected in 2007, with many groups in Hong Kong pushing for universal suffrage.
List of Chief Executives of Hong Kong
See also: