The 1994 Hong Kong electoral reform was a set of significant constitutional changes in the last years of British colonial rule in Hong Kong before the handover of its sovereignty to the People's Republic of China (PRC) on 1 July 1997. The reform aimed at broadening the electorate base of the three-tiers elections in 1994 and 1995, namely the 1994 District Board elections, the 1995 Urban and Regional Council elections and the 1995 Legislative Council election. It was the flagship policy of the last colonial governor Chris Patten.
The reform became a political storm in Hong Kong politics and diplomatic row between China and Britain. Under the opposition of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the PRC led by Lu Ping, the bill split the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It was openly criticized by the Hong Kong tycoons and the diplomat-sinologists of the U.K. Foreign Office for breaching the Seven Hurd-Qian letters between British Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd and PRC Foreign Minister Qian Qichen in 1990. The bill secured a dramatic narrow passage after surviving Liberal Party Allen Lee's hostile amendment by one vote 29 to 28 and was eventually passed with the support of the pro-democracy camp.[1][2][3]
- ^ Jonathan Dimbleby (director and presenter) (24 June 2007). The Last Governor. Episodes 1-5. BBC Parliament (TV documentary). Later the documentary is compiled into a book, Dimbleby, Jonathan (2018). The Last Governor: Chris Patten and the Handover of Hong Kong. Pen and Sword History.
- ^ Gittings, Danny (30 October 1994). "I've trodden on a lot of toes". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Patten, Chris (1998). East and West. Macmillan. p. 65.
The seven Hurd-Qian letters, in telegram form, principally concerned the number of directly elected seats in the legislature.