Hong Kong’s committee that picks the city’s leader will be led by a new convenor who will be responsible for dealing with unexpected situations that cannot be resolved under the existing laws, according to a electoral reform plan approved by Beijing.

The convenor must “hold an office of state leadership” and will be tasked with calling meetings as necessary. The position was created to handle “extreme situations” that the new electoral rules or existing laws did not cover, according to a source.

The situations would be reported to the central government in Beijing, who would then manage them through the convenor, the source said.

The number of people in the election committee will be increased from 1,200 to 1,500, according to the electoral amendments endorsed by Beijing on Tuesday. The current chief executive Carrie Lam received 777 votes from the committee in the 2017 election.

Lam said in a press conference that she would not be appointing the convenor and the city’s administration would be unaffected by the new position. It was likely that the convenor would be a vice chairperson of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top advisory body, she said.

Former chief executive Leung Chun-ying, also a vice chairperson of the CPPCC, has been tipped as a likely candidate. He said on Tuesday that he did not have a clear picture of the position’s responsibilities, but he would be willing to provide his service if necessary.

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