HONG KONG // Hong Kong student leaders and government officials held talks on Tuesday to end pro-democracy protests now in their fourth week even as the city’s Beijing-backed leader reaffirmed his unwillingness to compromise on the activists’ key demand.
Chief executive Leung Chun-ying told reporters that the government won’t let the public nominate candidates to run in inaugural direct elections to succeed him in 2017, as demanded by thousands of protesters camping out on main streets across the city. But he added that there’s room to discuss how to form a key 1,200-member committee that would pick candidates.
Mr Leung said such changes could be covered in a second round of consultations over the next several months.
“How we should elect the 1,200 so that the nominating committee will be broadly representative, there’s room for discussion there,” Mr Leung said. “There’s room to make the nominating committee more democratic, and this is one of the things we very much want to talk to not just the students but the community at large about.”
Protesters have occupied main streets in three areas of the city since September 28 to demand that the government abandon plans to use the screening committee.
Soon after Leung spoke to reporters, top officials from his government began much-awaited, televised talks with student leaders.
In opening remarks, student leader Alex Chow said that an August decision by China’s legislature ruling out so-called civil nomination and requiring the nomination committee has “emasculated” Hong Kong.
* Associated Press
