Hong Kong’s legislature voted on Thursday in a unanimous decision to revamp district-level elections, significantly reducing the number of directly elected seats. Critics argue that this move will further erode democratic freedoms in the Chinese-ruled city.
The amendment slashes the number of directly elected seats from 452 to 88, following the overwhelming victory of the democracy camp in the 2019 elections. The overall number of seats will be reduced from 479 to 470, with no specific date set for the next election.
This amendment will further limit the presence of democratic opposition in the former British colony, which has already faced the repercussions of China’s imposition of a national security law in 2020. The law has led to the arrests of former lawmakers and district councillors, as well as the dissolution of political parties.
In order to be eligible to run in the upcoming election, candidates will have to pass a national security background check and secure at least three nominations from various committees. This effectively bars most democracy advocates from participating.
The national security law was introduced by China in response to the anti-government protests that took place in 2019. It criminalizes activities deemed as subversion, secessionism, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces, carrying severe penalties, including life imprisonment.
Critics argue that the law is used to suppress dissent in Hong Kong, which was supposed to enjoy freedoms under the “one country, two systems” principle for 50 years after its return to Chinese rule.
While Hong Kong’s district councils primarily focus on community matters such as street cleaning and public transportation, authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong aim to ensure that only “patriots” can be elected to these councils.
The city leader, John Lee, hailed the amendment as a crucial step in enhancing governance. However, China’s commitment to universal suffrage, as promised in Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, remains in question.
The European Union issued a statement calling on the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to restore confidence in Hong Kong’s democratic processes and pursue the establishment of universal suffrage, as enshrined in the Basic Law.
During the last district council election in 2019, pro-democracy politicians secured 388 out of 452 seats, capturing nearly 90% of the positions and dealing a blow to the pro-Beijing camp.
