China approves changes in HongKong electoral system, slashes number of elected seats

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The National People’s Congress of China on Tuesday unanimously approved the changes to be introduced to the Hong Kong Constitution to reform the electoral system there by reducing the number of directly elected legislators in Hong Kong. It also delayed the city’s elections until December. 

Publicly elected representatives will hold just over one-fifth of seats in Hong Kong’s next legislature, down from a majority, under constitutional changes adopted in Beijing. Candidates will also be required to pass two rounds of screening with two national security bodies and a Beijing-controlled committee, all vetting hopefuls for patriotism and support for national security before they can face voters.

Their reports would be handed to a new vetting committee, whose decisions on qualifying candidates are final and cannot be appealed in court. After Tuesday’s vote at the Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping promulgated the adopted texts
On March 11, the Legislature decided to proceed with the aforementioned reforms after a national security law was passed there in 2020.

The decision seeks to ensure that the administrative region remains in the hands of patriots and neutralize the anti-China segments.

The local Government must report Beijing every step of the process, up to the vote concludes. Defending the decision, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the reforms will not prevent political parties with different tendencies from running for local elections.
The changes give Beijing and its handpicked local leaders vast powers to block any opposition candidate China deems disloyal, aiming to stamp out the intense anti-government sentiment that fuelled protests in 2019. As per media reports, Opposition groups said the changes would most likely leave them completely shut out of elections at all levels.

The authorities have waged an intense crackdown on the opposition with arrests and detentions. Last month, they charged 47 pro-democracy politicians, including most of the camp’s most prominent figures, with subversion under a national security law. Others are in court on charges of unauthorized assembly.