Duties and powers Under the Basic Law the chief executive is the chief representative of the
people of Hong Kong and is the
head of the government of Hong Kong. The Chief Executive's powers and functions include leading the government, implementing the law, signing bills and budgets passed by the
Legislative Council, deciding on government policies, advising appointment and dismissal of principal officials of the
Government of Hong Kong to the
Central People's Government of China, appointing judges and holders of certain public offices and to pardon or
commute sentences. The position is also responsible for the
policy address made to the public. The chief executive's powers and functions are established by article 48 of the Basic Law. The
Executive Council of Hong Kong is an organ for assisting the chief executive in policy-making. The council is consulted before making important policy decisions, introducing bills to the Legislative Council, making subordinate legislation or dissolving the Legislative Council.
Resignation Article 52 of the
Basic Law stipulates that the Chief Executive must resign when: • the Chief Executive loses the ability to discharge his or her duties as a result of serious illness or other reasons; • the Chief Executive refuses to sign a bill passed by a two-thirds majority of a re-elected
Legislative Council, after the Legislative Council is dissolved; or • the
Legislative Council refuses to pass the
budget or any other important bill for a second time after the Legislative Council is dissolved.
Impeachment The
Legislative Council has the power to propose a motion of impeachment of the chief executive for decision by the Central People's Government of China, with the following steps as stipulated in article 73(9) of the
Basic Law: • One-fourth of all
Legislative Council (LegCo) members can jointly initiate a motion, charging the chief executive with serious breach of law or dereliction of duty; • the motion for investigation passed by simple majority of votes of each of the two groups of members present; • the
Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal is mandated to form and chair an independent investigation committee for carrying out the investigation and reporting its findings to LegCo; • the independent investigation committee considers the evidence sufficient to substantiate such charges; • a two-thirds majority of all LegCo members passes the motion of impeachment; • the motion of impeachment is reported to the Central People's Government of China for decision.
Acting and succession The acting and succession line is spelled out in article 53. If the chief executive is not able to discharge his or her duties for short periods (such as during overseas visits), the duties would be assumed by the
chief secretary for administration, the
financial secretary or the
secretary for justice, by rotation, in that order, as acting chief executive.
Residence and office , official residence of the chief executive Prior to the
handover in 1997, the office of the chief executive-designate was at the seventh floor of the Asia Pacific Finance Tower. When
Tung Chee-hwa assumed duty on 1 July 1997, the office of the chief executive was located at the fifth floor of the
Former Central Government Offices (Main Wing). In the past the governor had his office at
Government House. Tung did not use Government House as the primary residence because he lived at his own residence at
Grenville House.
Donald Tsang decided to return to the renovated Government House during his
first term, and moved in on 12 January 2006, for both his office and residence. In 2011, the office of the chief executive moved to the low block of the new
Central Government Complex in
Tamar. Government House continues to serve as the official residence of the Chief Executive. ==Former chief executives==