41.   At least two provisional legislators have pledged to support the alliance and promised to put their demands to the provisional legislature and the government.

42.   Because Britain does not recognize the provisional legislature, it meets only in southern China.

43.   Because Britain considers the provisional legislature illegal, members of the body were chosen in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

44.   Boucher noted that the swearing-in covers the new government as well as the provisional legislature.

45.   Britain insists the elected legislature should scrutinize the draft law, while China wants the job to be done by the provisional legislature.

46.   But Bruce Liu, a minority democrat on the Chinese-approved provisional legislature, said the measure was unconstitutional and inhumane.

47.   But one of the first actions of his government was to swear in a non-elected provisional legislature to replace an elected one that China rejected.

48.   But the Basic Law, the constitution China has given Hong Kong, does not provide for an unelected provisional legislature, she said.

49.   But he predicted that the provisional legislature will change the election rules to favor their own candidates.

50.   But on political issues they remained divided, disagreeing strongly on the provisional legislature China has set up to temporarily replace the elected one.