Beijing to subdue popular vote winners in Hong Kong’s electoral overhaul
The National People’s Congress Standing Committee is set to pass amendments to the Annex 1 and 2 of the Basic Law on Monday, finalizing the details of Hong Kong’s electoral system overhaul.
While the Legislative Council will expand from 70 to 90 seats under the resolution passed by the NPCSC earlier this month, a new bloc of legislators hand-picked by the Election Committee will reportedly take up 40 seats, marking its first return since the relevant constituencies were dissolved in 2004. The functional constituency has 30 seats and the geographical constituency, the only one directly elected by popular vote, will be reduced to 20 seats.
Pro-Beijing thinktank, Bauhinia Institute, released a study on Saturday, underscoring support for the electoral changes imposed by Beijing. Near 40% of those surveyed support the 40:30:20 ratio of the distribution of seats, the study claimed.
According to sources familiar with the matter, individual elector for lawmakers in the functional constituency may also be abolished, allowing only registered bodies to vote as corporate electors. Under the new system, seats that usually belong to the opposition camp, such as those representing the social welfare and information technology sector, may also be taken by the pro-establishment camp.
Hong Kong data scientist Wong Ho-wa, a pro-democracy candidate who intended to run last year, said the move to abandon the individual elector will further tighten the small-circle election. There are around 100,000 employees in the information technology sector, he pointed out. “Their rights should be recognized. But under the new system, they will be stripped of their voices and only the bosses will get a say,” said Wong.
Wong is also unsure if he is qualified to run again, as candidates will require the nomination of the Election Committee and have to survive the political vetting of a newly formed committee. “Beside personal factors, I also have to consider the expectations of citizens, general voters and those in the sector, whether there are things I can achieve [in the LegCo],” he added.
Meanwhile, the Election Committee will expand from 1,200 to 1,500 members. A new fifth sector will be added to the Committee, formed by Hong Kong delegates to the National People’s Congress, China’s top political advisory body and other established national groups such as the All-China Youth Federation and the All-China Women’s Federation. The 117 seats for district councilors in the fourth sector are expected to be drastically reduced.
Candidates for Chief Executive will have to obtain a joint nomination from no fewer than 188 members of the Election Committee, with at least 15 nominees from each of the five sectors. Similarly, legislative council election hopefuls will also need nomination from all five sectors, raising the threshold for democratic candidates to be qualified.
The powerful committee responsible for reviewing the qualification of candidates will consist of no more than five members, according to sources familiar with the matter. Their decisions cannot be challenged in court.
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