'Only Patriots': China plans to overhaul Hong Kong electoral system

Elections for Hong Kong are expected to be delayed as Beijing plans to overhaul the autonomous city’s electoral system in order to make more ‘patriots’ in charge of the governance. PRC’s National People's Congress (NPC), the top Chinese legislature body will convene several meetings to discuss the reshuffling of Hong Kong’s parliament as China has made clear that it will no longer tolerate dissent and anti-Chinese governance voices. According to NPC vice-chairman Wang Chen’s statement to Beijing’s state press, lawmakers will hold talks to reform Hong Kong’s legislation in a way that transfers more powers in the hands of Hong Kong's lawmaking body, the Legislative Council (LegCo). 

China’s state run-news agencies, including South China Morning Post cited unnamed sources from PRC’s legislative body as saying that Beijing was planning to initiate efforts to ensure that there were more pro-government members instead of the dissidents in Hong Kong’s Legislative Chamber. Wang Chen, a vice-chairman of the standing committee of China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC) told the press that China plans to alter the composition of Hong Kong’s electoral system to make relatively larger and will ‘make adjustments’ to dilute the democratically elected members. Beijing plans to enhance the seats in the current 70 member LegCo and the members will directly be appointed by the electoral committee. Wang said that Hong Kong’s legislation has ‘loopholes’. 

[Credit: AP]

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"The election committee will be entrusted with the new function of electing a relatively large share of Legco members and directly participating in the nomination of all candidates for the Legco,” Wang Chen, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said during the annual session in Beijing, as cited by AP. 

He added that the chief executive will continue to be elected by the election committee.  

Political opposition crackdown

China’s decision to modify Hong Kong’s electoral system comes in the backdrop of Hong Kong’s political opposition crackdown following implementation of the controversial National Security Law. Police in Hong Kong have arrested close to 47 democracy activists on charges of the draconian law, who, the Chinese government has accused of plotting to paralyse Hong Kong's legislative framework. The pro-democracy activists were slapped with charges such as collusion with foreign powers and terrorism. 

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