Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying called on Sunday for widespread support for an election reform blueprint unveiled Wednesday, stressing that the plan is an important step toward the "one person, one vote" universal suffrage system.
"Universal suffrage in 2017 can be realized only when pan-democratic members of the Legislative Council are persuaded into accepting the plan," Leung said on Sunday.
"If the plan is vetoed, I do not know when there will be another opportunity to promote the reform and the possibility to pass the plan," he warned. Under the proposal, 5 million eligible voters will be able to elect their own leader in 2017 from two to three candidates selected by the nominating committee composed of 1,200 people.