ABSTRACT
Much of the political controversy that erupted in post-handover Hong Kong could be attributed to arguments over one single word, ‘accountability’. According to Article 43 of the Basic Law, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ‘shall be accountable to the Central People’s Government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in accordance with the provisions of this Law’.3 Elaborating this principle of dual responsibility of the Chief Executive, Article 45 further spells out a dual selection process for the Chief Executive. The incumbent ‘should be selected by election or through consultation held locally and be appointed by the Central People’s Government’.4 This provision lays down two sources of power for the office, a local constituency and the central authority. Further down in Appendix I of the Basic Law, the local constituency is defined as the Election Committee, which is composed of 800 selectors returned by a complex selection process.5 The composition of the Election Committee, however, is to continue to evolve according to specific procedures and subject to agreement among relevant parties specified in the Basic Law.6
