Government of Hong Kong - Head of Government

Head of Government

The Chief Executive is the head of government of the Hong Kong. The Basic Law designates a system of governance led by a Chief Executive and an Executive Council, with a two-tiered system of semi-representative government and an independent judiciary. The Chief Executive is elected by an Election Committee, an 1200-member electoral college consisting of individuals and bodies (i.e. special interest groups) elected within 28 functional constituencies defined in the Basic Law. The winner is then appointed to the position by the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. The Chief Executive is responsible for implementing the Basic Law, signing bills and budgets, promulgating laws, making decisions on government policies and issuing Executive Orders. He is assisted in policy making by the Executive Council.

As of 1 July 1997, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong officially replaced the Governor of Hong Kong as the head of the government for Hong Kong from the transfer of sovereignty. The Chief Executive is assisted by the Chief Secretary for Administration and the Financial Secretary, and other secretaries who heads policy bureaux. The secretaries for each government affairs are appointed by the Chief Executive and endorsed by the Central People's Government. The Secretary for Justice (SJ) is responsible for legal matters of the government and prosecution for criminal cases in the territory. The Independent Commission Against Corruption and Audit Commission report directly to the Chief Executive. The current Chief Executive is Leung Chun-ying.