【英语中国】香港立法会通过政治改革方案

Lawmakers Friday passed hotly contested political-reform measures that represent a rare compromise between pro-democracy leaders and Beijing.

On the third day of speeches and deliberations, legislators voted 46 to 12 in favor of passing the second half of a government-sponsored reform bill that will add 10 directly elected seats to the legislature, expanding it to 70 from 60. The first part of the bill, which enlarges the committee that currently chooses Hong Kong's chief executive to 1,200 members from the current 800, passed on Thursday. The changes affect elections next scheduled for 2012.

Friday afternoon, supporters and opponents of the bill flanked opposite sides of the colonial-era legislative chambers in downtown Hong Kong. On one end, Hong Kong government leaders celebrated the news amid applause and loud cheering. On the other end, groups of protesters who attacked the bill for undermining the pursuit of universal suffrage silently bowed three times in a traditional sign of funereal mourning.

The passage defuses what had become a worrying political crisis for Hong Kong's chief executive, Donald Tsang, who campaigned hard to sell the idea that the changes were an important step forward toward broader democracy, but until recently faced likely defeat.

Now, instead, it is Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement which finds itself in disarray now that its main standard-bearer, the Democratic Party, has chosen to compromise on reforms it once fiercely opposed. The move alienated some supporters and led to a split with more radical lawmakers that have long been the party's traditional allies.

Currently, half of Hong Kong lawmakers are chosen through direct elections, with the others chosen by so-called functional constituencies, mostly industry and professional groups that tend to favor legislators sympathetic to Beijing's views. With the new changes, a majority of lawmakers will be returned through direct elections for the first time when the next legislative elections take place in 2012. But the functional constituencies will remain a part of the system.

A key shift took place when Beijng agreed to support a proposal by the Democratic Party amending the Hong Kong's government plan to enlarge the legislature. The bill originally envisioned five new directly elected seats and five new seats chosen by municipal leaders known as district councilors.

The Democrats proposed that district councilors choose candidates for five new seats, but that any registered voters not already casting ballots for functional-constituency seats would be able to vote for which candidates they support.

Hong Kong's constitution, known as the Basic Law, calls universal suffrage the ultimate aim in the development of the former British territory's political system. Pro-democracy groups have long pushed the government to lay out a timetable for reaching that goal, and attacked its reform efforts as delaying tactics.

Associated Press
把守在香港立法会大楼外的警员香港立法会周五通过了一系列引发激烈争议的政治改革措施，这是民主派政治领导人和北京间一场罕见妥协的结果。

经过三天的辩论和协商，香港立法会以46票对12票的表决结果通过了政府所提一项改革法案的第二部分，将把立法会的直选议席增加10个，总数由60席增加到70席。这项改革法案的第一部分已于周四通过，其内容是将推选香港特区行政长官的委员会从目前的800人增加到1,200人。这些改革措施将影响到2012年的下一次选举。

周五下午，支持和反对这项法案的人分别汇聚在香港立法会议事大厅的两边。在大厅的一边，香港政府官员们在掌声和欢呼声中庆祝这一法案的通过。而在大厅的另一边，抗议团体则以三鞠躬的葬礼仪式默默以对，他们声称这项法案破坏了香港对普选权的追求。

由于该法案的通过，香港特区行政长官曾荫权(Donald Tsang)有可能面临的一场政治危机得以化解。他曾向立法会成员大力游说说，这项法案是香港朝实行更广泛的民主迈出的重要一步，但直到不久前该法案仍面临着可能无法在立法会过关的命运。

而现在，由于曾经激烈反对这项法案的香港民主派主要旗手民主党(Democratic Party)选择了在政治改革方面进行妥协，轮到香港的民主运动陷入混乱了。香港民主党此举使它疏离了一些支持者，并导致该党与立法会内更激进的民主派议员发生分裂，这些人一直是香港民主党的传统盟友。

目前，香港立法会中半数议员通过直接选举产生，其他议员由所谓的功能界别挑选。功能界别大多是行业组织和专业组织，倾向于支持那些赞同北京观点的议员。根据最新的变化，2012年下一届立法会选举时，大多数议员将首次通过直接选举才能回到立法会。但功能界别仍将作为这个制度的一部分得以保留。

北京同意支持民主党的建议对香港政府扩大立法会的计划进行修订，从而使情况发生了关键的变化。原先的提案提议增加五个直选议席，再增加五个由区议员挑选的议席。

民主党建议，由区议员为这五个新议席挑选候选人，但未对功能界别议席进行投票的所有登记选民将能够为其支持的候选人投票。

香港的宪法（即《基本法》）称普选是这个前英殖民地政治体制发展的最终目标。亲民主派组织长期要求政府制订实现这一目标的时间表，并抨击其改革措施为拖延之计。