The Returning Officer for the Chief Executive Election, Justice Carlye Chu, announced on June 17 that Donald Tsang was the sole valid candidate in the Chief Executive election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and has automatically become the Chief Executive designate.

She announced that the two-week nomination period, which started on June 3, closed at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.

On March 12, the central government approved Tung Chee Hwa's request for resignation as HKSAR Chief Executive because of health reasons.

Under the Basic Law and the provisions of the HKSAR's relevant laws, Hong Kong should elect a new chief executive before July 10.

On May 25, Donald Tsang announced he would run for the CE election and submitted to the State Council, China's cabinet, his resignation as Chief Secretary for Administration.

After the State Council approved his resignation request on June 2, Tsang formally stated running for the CE election and made public his policy blueprint for Hong Kong.

According to the Article 44 of the Basic Law, the Chief Executive of HKSAR shall be a Chinese citizen of not less then 40 years of age who is a permanent resident of the region with no right of abode in any foreign country and has ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than 20 years.

The Annex I of the Basic Law stipulates that the Chief Executive shall be elected by a broadly representative Election Committee in accordance with that law and appointed by the Central People's Government.

The Election Committee shall be composed of 800 members from the following sectors: industrial, commercial and financial sectors as well as the professions, labor, social services, religious sectors.

The committee also includes members of the Legislative Council, representatives of district-based organizations, Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) and representatives of the Hong Kong members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Candidates for the office of Chief Executive may be nominated jointly by not less than 100 members of the Election Committee. Each member may nominate only one candidate.

If there is only one valid candidate in the Chief Executive election of the HKSAR, the Returning Officer of the Registration and Electoral Office of the HKSAR government shall announce the candidate will automatically become the Chief Executive designate.

The Election Committee shall, on the basis of the list of nominees, elect the Chief Executive designate by secret ballot on a one-person-one-vote basis.

The term of office of the Chief Executive of the HUSKER shall be five years. He or she may serve for more than two consecutive terms.

The Standing Committee of the NPC, China's top legislature, adopted on April 27, 2005 the interpretation on Clause 2, Article 53 of the Basic Law, setting that the term of the office of the next HKSAR Chief Executive shall be the remaining part left by the previous CE, when the office of the CE becomes vacant before the five-year-term expires.

According to the interpretation, the tenure of the currently by- elected CE will be two years, the remainder of the term of office of the second-term CE.

Source: Xinhua