More than 360,000 Hong Kong citizens showed up at a signature campaign in support of the political reform package for the next chief executive election in 2017, campaign organizers said Monday.
"We set up more than 900 signature stations all over the city and as of Sunday, we have received more than 360,000 signatures, a very positive response," Robert Chow Yung, the founder of the Alliance for Peace and Democracy, which organized the campaign, told the Global Times Monday.
The campaign from May 9 to 17 hopes to gain the Hong Kong people's support for the constitutional reform package for the election of the next chief executive by universal suffrage.
The reform package was unveiled by the Hong Kong government on April 22.
"We have not set a target number but we hope people who support the package would come out and sign and show opposition groups the true public sentiment," Chow said.
He explained that the campaign only accept signatures of Hong Kong citizens over 18 years old to ensure an objective, accurate result.
Among the signers were top government officials including Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam.
Lam said on Sunday that Hong Kong's constitutional reform is at its most critical moment and the government is working hard to gather more public support for the reform package in the coming weeks, stressing that the reform package is a comprehensive and legally practical one.
The reform package will be reviewed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) after being endorsed by a two-thirds majority of all 70 members of Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) in June.
Lam said the government will find more ways to explain the proposed universal suffrage package to citizens so as to gain more public support before submitting the package to the LegCo. Some pan-democratic lawmakers and civil groups, however, said earlier this month that they are planning to launch another protest to obstruct LegCo's operations to prevent the reform package from passing, drawing criticism from many local citizens.
