China approved a sweeping overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system. The country drastically curbed democratic representation in the city. This has been done as the authorities seek to ensure “patriots” are ruling the global financial hub.
Key Points
- This reduction in elected seats in Hong Kong’s legislature is a part of Beijing’s efforts to consolidate its increasingly authoritarian grip over the city following the imposition of national security law in June.
- The electoral restructuring was endorsed unopposed by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, at the apex of China’s legislature.
- As per the changes, the number of directly elected representatives’ will decrease to 20 from 35, and the size of the legislature increase to 90 seats from 70 at present.
- An election committee responsible for selecting the chief executive will increase from 1,500 members to 1,200.
- The representation of 117 community-level district councilors in the election committee would also be scrapped and the six district council seats in the Legislative Council will also be removed.
- District councils are Hong Kong’s only fully democratic institution, and around 90% of the 452 district seats are controlled by the democratic camp after a 2019 vote.
- They mostly deal with grassroots issues like garbage collection and public transport links.
- After the changes, a powerful new vetting committee will monitor candidates for public office and work with national security authorities to ensure they are loyal to Beijing.
The measures are the most significant overhaul of Hong Kong’s political structure since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997 and alter the size and composition of the legislature and electoral committee in favor of pro-Beijing figures.
Critics say the changes move Hong Kong in the opposite direction, leaving the democratic opposition with the most limited space it has ever had since the handover if any at all.
Last Modified: February 11, 2024