China sharply reduces elected seats in Hong Kong legislature

From left: HK Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, Chief Executive Carrie Lam and permanent Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Roy Tang

China has sharply reduced the number of directly elected seats in Hong Kong’s legislature in a setback for the territory’s already beleaguered democracy movement.
The changes were announced yesterday after a two-day meeting of China’s top legislature.
The legislature will be expanded to 90 seats, and only 20 will be elected by the public. Currently, half of the 70-seat legislature — 35 seats — is directly elected.
The move is part of a two-phase effort to rein in political protest and opposition in Hong Kong. China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong last year and is following up this year with a revamp of the electoral process.
The crackdown comes in the wake of months of pro-democracy protests in 2019 that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets and turned violent as the government resisted the movement’s demands.
China’s top legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, amended Hong Kong’s constitution to pave the way for the changes. The Hong Kong government is now tasked with revising its electoral laws and holding an election.
In the current 70-member legislature, voters elect half the members and the other half are chosen by constituencies representing various professions and interest groups. Many of the constituencies lean pro-Beijing, ensuring that wing a majority in the legislature.
The new body will have 20 elected members, 30 chosen by the constituencies and 40 by an Election Committee which also chooses the city’s leader.
The committee, which will be expanded from 1,200 to 1,500 members, is dominated by supporters of the central government in Beijing.
Election hopefuls will undergo vetting by the national security police and a committee that oversees national security in the city.
A new separate body will also be established to review the qualifications of candidates for office in Hong Kong to ensure the city is governed by “patriots,” in the language of the central government.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said at a news conference yesterday that the new committee to vet candidates will consist of a few government officials who are also trusted by the central government.
Lam dismissed concerns that the changes will affect plans for the city to achieve universal suffrage and allow residents to vote for their leader.
“I may as well say this very categorically that the central government is very sincere to give Hong Kong people so-called more democracy, that is, universal suffrage,” Lam said.
She blamed pro-democracy lawmakers for objecting in 2014 to a proposal that would have allowed residents to vote for the chief executive on the condition that Beijing would vet the candidates.
“It’s a very sad day for Hong Kong. The election system is completely dismantled,” said former lawmaker and Democratic Party member Emily Lau.
“They are going to get rid of opposition voices because under this new system … I don’t think any self-respecting individual will want to take part,” Lau said. MDT/Agencies

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