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Letters to the Editor, April 9, 2013

I refer to the report ("Expert accused of twisting facts on voting rights", April 1). Maria Tam Wai-chu may have had a momentary slip of the mind when she said that Article 25(b) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights did not cover the right to stand for election.

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I refer to the report ("Expert accused of twisting facts on voting rights", April 1).

Maria Tam Wai-chu may have had a momentary slip of the mind when she said that Article 25(b) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights did not cover the right to stand for election.

But she did say that it was the Basic Law, and not the covenant, that governed what must be done at the 2017 election of the chief executive by universal suffrage, because Article 25(b) does not yet apply to Hong Kong.

The Basic Law says there shall be a nomination of the candidates by a nomination committee before voting by universal suffrage takes place. And the NPC Law Committee chairman, Qiao Xiaoyang , did indicate that the nomination committee must not be done away with.

The reason is that it is necessary to exclude secessionist candidates - of which at least three are lurking in the wings - from standing for election and there are enough voters to vote for them.

It may have been said, according to Emily Lau Wai-hing, that when there is a direct election, Article 25 (b) should become applicable to Hong Kong. But direct elections through universal suffrage will not be used in the 2017 poll, due to the nomination "pre-election" that will not be done away with.

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