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Beijing Intervenes In Hong Kong Leadership Crisis

by Mary Swire, Tax-News.com, Hong Kong

12 April 2005

As the debate rumbles on over the successor to Tung Chee-hwa as the chief executive of the Special Administrative Region, Beijing has decided that its intervention is needed in the interpretation of Hong Kong’s Basic Law in order to determine how long the next leader will serve.

According to a report from the state media source Xinhua, the Chinese State Council on Sunday asked the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress to interpret Clause 2 of Article 53 of the Basic Law, which concerns the tenure of the leader.

The constitutional crisis was sparked by the premature resignation of Tung last month, who still had two years remaining of his seven year term.

However, the key decision makers now cannot decide whether his replacement will serve the remaining two years of the term, or a fresh term of seven years.

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Stephen Lam has told the media that Beijing’s pronouncement is expected to come within three weeks.

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