>>>Click into related Special: HK CE By-election

Hong Kong's new chief executive should serve the remainder of Tung Chee-hwa's term in office, and not a full five years. That's according to the deputy secretary-general of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, Qiao Xiaoyang, who was speaking to Hong Kong legal representatives.

Qiao met with 82 legal-sector representatives from Hong Kong on Tuesday. He explained that although Article 46 of the Basic Law says that a chief executives term is five years, Annex One of the mini-constitution that deals with the election committee must also be taken into account. The Hong Kong SAR government has asked the National People's Congress to interpret the Basic Law on this issue.

Editor: Olivia