CCTV9英语新闻：Lawmakers to vote on universal suffrage

A momentous moment for Hong Kong's democratic process. On Wednesday, legislators began a debate on the electoral reform proposal on the 2017 chief executive election.

Under the plan, people in Hong Kong would choose their leader from two or three candidates endorsed by a 1,200-strong nominating committee.

"The package can allow people to choose SAR's chief executive by universal suffrage in 2017. It’s more democratic than the current electoral system. The political reform proposal should be strictly in line with the Basic Law, and the framework set out by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress last August," said Tam Yiu-chung, member of HK Legislative Council.

It will need a two thirds majority for its passage. Among the 70 legislators, 41 have expressed their support, while 27 opposition lawmakers said they will veto the package. They claim it would screen-out their candidates running for the top post.

Government officials are hoping the opposition lawmakers will change their mind at the last moment.

"The majority of Hong Kong people would like to see their right to vote put in place in 2017. So I hope all the legislators, especially those pan-democrats who stress their responsiveness to public opinion, can reflect the mainstream opinion with their actions," said Carrie Lam, HK Chief Secretary.

The latest polls show that most Hong Kong residents want the plan to be passed first. Even though some think it's not perfect, they say there is still room for improvement after the 2017 election.

"All the opinion polls show that the support for vetoing the package never rose over 40 percent. There are more people supporting the passage and we want democracy. It’s clear that Hong Kong wants universal suffrage," said Robert Chow, spokesman of Alliance for Peace and Democracy.

But it seems the opposition lawmakers and their supporters are adamant on their position.

As the debate continues, thousands of supporters and opponents of the electoral plan are gathering outside the Legislative Council.

Security has been stepped up to prevent violence between the two camps. Organizers from both sides also urged participants to be calm and stick to peaceful action.

Police are standing by to prevent any aggressive action, and to safeguard the legislators’ safety.

Voting on the plan is expected on Thursday or Friday. If it’s passed, 5 million eligible voters could have a "one man one vote" for the first time in history.

If it’s vetoed, the city will continue using the current 1,200-strong election committee to elect the chief executive, and the whole democratic process could come to a standstill.