HK, Macao NPC candidates banned from receiving foreign funds: drafts

Candidates standing for election of National People's Congress (NPC) deputies from the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SARs) should bear allegiance to China and declare not receiving foreign funds in relation to the election, say drafts on election methods to be submitted to China's national legislature.

The drafts are explained to a NPC plenary session Wednesday by Wang Chen, vice chairman and general secretary of the NPC Standing Committee.

A copy of Wang's speech was made available to media before the plenary session.

The NPC deputies are the component members of the highest organ of state power who exercise state power on behalf of the people. Therefore, they shall declare in the Participant's Registration Form that they uphold the Chinese Constitution and bear allegiance to China, Wang says, citing the drafts.

The NPC deputies from Hong Kong and Macao should also declare they uphold the Basic Laws, bear allegiance to the SARs, endorse the policy of "one country, two systems", the drafts say.

According to the drafts, candidates should also declare not having received and will not receive, directly or indirectly, any form of funds in relation to the election from any foreign institution, organization or individual.

This requirement is to safeguard the security of the state and prevent foreign powers from interfering in the elections, Wang says.

If a candidate is found and verified to have received any foreign funds, the candidate's election will be declared null and void, according to Wang, citing the drafts.

A supervisory mechanism over NPC deputies is also improved that if any NPC deputy violates the declaration made in the Participant's Registration Form, the Credentials Committee shall make a report proposing the disqualification of the deputy in question to the NPC Standing Committee which shall, based on the report, confirm the disqualification, the drafts say.

The number of seats on the 13th NPC allocated to Hong Kong and Macao SARs are 36 and 12 respectively, the same as the current 12th NPC.

As to the electoral procedures, the drafts note that the elections should be competitive and held by secret ballot, and candidates for NPC deputies shall be elected only if they have obtained more than half of the votes cast by members of the election councils.

To be eligible for candidacy, one has to be nominated by ten or more members of the election councils at the first place. 

The drafts are expected to be voted before the 12th NPC concludes its fifth session on March 15.