How the new Hong Kong election law will shape the Reuters legislature

By James Pomfret

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong has called for legislative elections on Sunday, with candidates being considered “patriotic” and not pro-democracy candidates, largely because they have been forced to run or be imprisoned or exiled.

The reorganization of the Legislative Council is the first major restructuring of Hong Kong’s political system since the territory returned to China from British rule in 1997.

WHY ARE ELECTIONS SIGNIFICANT?

These are the first citywide elections to be held under a national security law enacted by China, which came into force in June 2020.

Critics say the law has been used to restrict basic freedom of expression and assembly, to silence the opposition, to imprison pro-democracy activists and to disband civil rights groups, contrary to the terms of the transfer.

Authorities in Hong Kong and China say the law has restored stability and ended a disruption caused by mass protests.

Article 68 of the Basic Law, the small constitution of Hong Kong, states that universal suffrage for the legislature is the “ultimate goal”.

But Beijing said changes to the election law were a threat to national security after the 2019 mass protests, which it said would cover “gaps and shortcomings.”

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said some former pro-democracy lawmakers were “disruptors against China” and caused chaos.

“National security and political security are inseparable. To achieve true national security, the government must be firmly in the hands of the patriots,” he said in April.

WHAT ARE THE KEY CHANGES IN ELECTION CHANGE?

The legislature has been increased to 90 from 70 seats, and the proportion of directly elected seats has been reduced from less than half a quarter to just a quarter — just 20.

A 1,500 committee of Beijing’s loyalists will directly elect 40 MPs from about 50 candidates. Thirty seats are filled by “functional constituencies,” voters in various business and professional sectors, such as law and education.

The Candidate Eligibility Review Committee, a group of senior officials in Hong Kong, has the discretion to disqualify anyone from the background of “patriotism” candidates working with the national security police.

Critics say the changes make it impossible for Democrats to act as an influence or control over the https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hong-kongs-jailed-exiled-democrats-lament-sunday-election-2021-12-16 executive.

WHAT HAS BEEN ABOUT DEMOCRACY POLITICS?

Major opposition parties, including the Democratic Party and the Civic Party, have refused to run in the election, calling it a non-democratic poll.

All 153 candidates were considered by a pro-Beijing committee. About a dozen are considered moderate or independent, saying they disagree with the two sides, with the rest in favor of Beijing and supporters of the establishment.

Pro-democracy parties initially planned to run in the election, which was scheduled for September 2020 but was postponed due to austerity restrictions. In preparation, they challenged the authorities to select the strongest candidates who held the unofficial primary elections in July 2020 and to maximize their chances.

On January 6, Hong Kong police arrested more than 50 pro-democracy politicians. The following month, 47 were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in the first ballot. Thirty-three are in jail awaiting trial, and 14 are on bail.

HOW WERE THE DEMOCRATES USED IN PREVIOUS VOTES?

Since 1997, Democratic politicians have consistently worked in the four-year Legislative Council election, especially in directly elected seats, and have been able to control more than a third of the assembly to form a veto bloc.

In the 2019 district council elections, millions of Chinese people were upset against control of the city and within a few months, Democrats won just under 90% of the seats.

Despite attempts by Chinese and Hong Kong officials to garner support for these elections, many observers hope to maintain low turnout with electoral changes and the ongoing crackdown on national security law. Authorities say security laws and election changes have brought stability and order to Hong Kong in 2019 after lengthy anti-government and pro-democracy protests. Voter turnout in 2016 was 58%, while post-transfer was low in 2000 at 43.6%.