Candidates will be vetted by a powerful committee in future Hong Kong elections with no right to appeal, as China’s top legislative body approved sweeping changes to the city’s electoral system on Tuesday.

The committee will judge a candidate’s eligibility based on information provided by the police’s national security unit, according to the reform plan approved unanimously by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.

The change — covering the elections of the legislature, chief executive and the committee that picks the city’s leader — is part of China’s effort to overhaul the electoral system in the former British colony.

It is unclear how many people will be in the committee or whether candidates will have a chance to defend themselves in the vetting process. However, sources said it was likely that it would be made up of political heavyweights who were not running in the elections.

Only people who support the Basic Law — Hong Kong’s mini-constitution — and are loyal to the Hong Kong administration will be allowed, according to the amendment.

This is in line with previous comments from senior Chinese officials who said Hong Kong should only be ruled by patriots and echoes the new requirement for civil servants to pledge allegiance to the government and the city.

The committee’s decisions could not be appealed or be subjected to judicial review, according to several pro-Beijing sources.

The reform is seen as a sign of Beijing’s growing intolerance towards pro-democracy figures following their landslide victory in the District Council elections in 2019 and the massive turnout in the camp’s primary election last year. Forty-seven people connected to the primary have now been charged under the draconian national security law.

Former chief executive Leung Chun-ying, also a vice chairperson of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said the amendment only shifted the vetting power from the city’s returning officers to a new committee. That could result in more consistent standards in the process, he said.

Under the existing electoral system in Hong Kong, several high-profile pro-democracy figures, such as Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow, have previously been barred from running in elections.

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play