In the shock of the democratic movement, China has rapidly reduced the number of directly elected seats in Hong Kong’s legislature. The changes were announced on Tuesday after a two-day meeting of China’s top legislature.
In the new make-up, the legislature will be expanded to 90 seats, and only 20 people will be elected. Currently 35 seats or half of the 70 seats in the Assembly are elected.
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Pro-democracy lawmaker Wu Chi-wai, in a polo shirt, had a scuffle with security guards during a May 18, 2020, meeting of the Legislative Assembly’s House Committee in Hong Kong. (AP Photo / Vincent U, file)
China’s top legislature on Tuesday approved amendments to Hong Kong’s constitution that would give Beijing more control over the composition of the city’s legislature.
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress passed the amendment on the last day of the two-day session, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997, it has not been able to provide immediate details of changes to Annex I and II of the basic law governing Hong Kong.
Chinese officials have said the committee that selects the Hong Kong leader will have the additional power to select “fairly large” members of the legislature.
They did not say how many seats there would be. The so-called MLA Legislative Council will be expanded to 70 to 90 seats.
The changes are expected to reduce the proportion of directly elected members. Half of the legislatures are currently elected in direct elections.
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The election committee will also increase from 1,200 to 1,500 members.
It was proposed by the full National People’s Congress in early March and empowered the Standing Committee to amend the basic law. The next step is for Hong Kong to amend its election law and hold elections under it.
Under the changes, a committee will also be formed to review the qualifications of candidates for office in Hong Kong to ensure that the city is governed by “patriots” in the language of the central government.
Political opposition in Hong Kong – which has advocated more democracy, not less – sees the change as part of a broader effort to keep them out of office.
In part, it comes down to the definition of patriots. The opposition has spent months trying to block the law by filebustering key legislative committees and blocking legal proceedings.
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Beijing, which prioritizes political stability, sees these actions as unnecessary interference in Hong Kong’s governance and wants to keep these actors away from the government.
