Hong Kong: Government#

Country nameconventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
conventional short form: Hong Kong
local long form: Heung Kong Takpit Hangching Ku (Eitel/Dyer-Ball); Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu (Hanyu Pinyin)
local short form: Heung Kong (Eitel/Dyer-Ball); Xianggang (Hanyu Pinyin)
abbreviation: HK
etymology: probably an imprecise phonetic rendering of the Cantonese name meaning "fragrant harbor"
Dependency statusspecial administrative region of China
Government typepresidential limited democracy; a special administrative region of the PRC
Administrative divisionsnone (special administrative region of China)
Independencenone (special administrative region of China)
National holidayNational Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July (1997) is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
Constitutionseveral previous (governance documents while under British authority); latest drafted April 1988 to February 1989, approved March 1990, effective 1 July 1997 (Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China serves as the constitution); note - since 1990, the PRC National People's Congress has interpreted specific articles of the Basic Law (2016)
Legal systemmixed legal system of common law based on the English model and Chinese customary law (in matters of family and land tenure)
Citizenshipsee China
Suffrage18 years of age in direct elections for half of the Legislative Council seats and all of the seats in 18 district councils; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past 7 years; note - in indirect elections, suffrage is limited to about 220,000 members of functional constituencies for the other half of the legislature and a 1,200-member election committee for the chief executive drawn from broad sectoral groupings, central government bodies, municipal organizations, and elected Hong Kong officials
Executive branchchief of state: President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)
head of government: Chief Executive LEUNG Chun-ying (C.Y. LEUNG) (since 1 July 2012)
cabinet: Executive Council or ExCo appointed by the chief executive
elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 5-17 March 2013 (next to be held in March 2018); chief executive indirectly elected by the Election Committee and appointed by the PRC Government for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); LEUNG Chun-ying (C.Y.LEUNG) elected chief executive on 25 March 2012 and took office on 1 July 2012 (next to be held in March 2017)
election results: LEUNG Chun-ying elected chief executive; Election Committee vote - LEUNG Chun-ying 689, Henry TANG 285, Albert HO 76

note: the Legislative Council voted in June 2010 to expand the electoral committee to 1,200 seats for the 2012 election
Legislative branchdescription: unicameral Legislative Council or LegCo (70 seats; 35 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote; 30 members indirectly elected by the approximately 220,000 members of various functional constituencies based on a variety of methods; five at large "super-seat" members directed elected by all of Hong Kong’s eligible voters who do not participate in a functional constituency; members serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held on 4 September 2016; (next general election to be in September 2020)
election results: percent of vote by block - pro-democracy 36.0%; pro-Beijing 40.2%, localist 19.0%, other 4.8%; seats by block/party - pro-Beijing 40 (DAB 12, BPA 7, FTU 5, Liberal Party 4, NPP 3, other 9); pro-democracy 23 (Democratic Party 7, Civic Party 6, PP-LSD 2, Professional Commons 2, Labor 1, NWSC 1, PTU 1, other democrats 3), localists 6 (ALLin HK 2, CP-PPI-HKRO 1, Demosisto 1, Democracy Groundwork 1, other localist 1), non-aligned independent 1; note - 2 localists were barred from taking office
Judicial branchhighest court(s): Court of Final Appeal (consists of the chief justice, 3 permanent judges and 20 non-permanent judges); note - a sitting bench consists of the chief justice and 3 permanent and 1 non-permanent judges
judge selection and term of office: all judges appointed by the Hong Kong Chief Executive upon the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, an independent body consisting of the Secretary for Justice and other judges, judicial and legal professionals; permanent judges appointed until normal retirement at age 65, but can be extended; non-permanent judges appointed for renewable 3-year terms without age limit
subordinate courts: High Court (consists of the Court of Appeal and Court of First Instance); District Courts (includes Family and Land Courts); magistrates' courts; specialized tribunals
Political parties and leadersparties:
ALLinHK (alliance of 6 localist groups)
Business and Professional Alliance or BPA (Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen)
Civic Party (Alan LEONG Kah-kit)
Civic Passion or CP (CHENG Chung-tai) (part of Civic Passion-Proletariat Political Institute-Hong Kong Resurgence Order alliance or CP-PPI-HKRO that dissolved after the 2016 election)
Democracy Groundwork (LAU Siu-lai)
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB (Starry LEE Wai-king)
Democratic Party (WU Chi-wai)
Demosisto (Nathan LAW)
Federation of Trade Unions or FTU (Stanley NG Chau-pei)
Labor Party (Suzanne WU Shui-shan)
League of Social Democrats or LSD (Avery NG Man-yuen)
Liberal Party (Felix CHUNG Kwok-pan)
Neighborhood and Workers Service Center or NWSC (LEUNG Yui-chung)
New People's Party or NPP (Regina IP Lau Su-yee)
People Power or PP (Erica YUEN Mi-ming)
Youngspiration (Sixtus "Baggio" LEUNG Chung-hang)
others:
Professional Commons (think tank) (Charles Peter MOK)
Professional Teachers Union or PTU

note: political blocks include: pro-democracy - Civic Party, Democratic Party, Labor Party, LSD, NWSC, PP, Professional Commons, PTU; pro-Beijing - DAB, FTU, Liberal Party, NPP, BPA; localist - ALLinHK, CP, Democracy Groundwork, Demosisto; there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies
Political pressure groups and leadersChinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China)
Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong
Civic Act-up (Cyd HO Sau-lan, Legislative Council of Hong Kong member) (pro-democracy)
Federation of Hong Kong Industries
Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China (Albert HO, chairman)
Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan)
Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union (FUNG Wai-wah, president)
International organization participationADB, APEC, BIS, FATF, ICC (national committees), IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITUC (NGOs), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the USnone (Special Administrative Region of China); Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) carries out normal liaison and communication with the US Government and other US entitiescommissioner: Clement C.M. LEUNG
office: 1520 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: (1) 202 331-8947
FAX: (1) 202 331-8958
HKETO offices: New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the USchief of mission: Consul General Kurt W. TONG (since 27 August 2016); note - also accredited to Macau
consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong
mailing address: Unit 8000, Box 1, DPO AP 96521-0006
telephone: (852) 2523-9011
FAX: (852) 2845-1598
Flag descriptionred with a stylized, white, five-petal Bauhinia flower in the center; each petal contains a small, red, five-pointed star in its middle; the red color is the same as that on the Chinese flag and represents the motherland; the fragrant Bauhinia - developed in Hong Kong the late 19th century - has come to symbolize the region; the five stars echo those on the flag of China
National symbol(s)orchid tree flower; national colors: red, white
National anthem
note: as a Special Administrative Region of China, "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" is the official anthem (see China)