The 4th session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) opened in Beijing on the morning of the 5th, during which Wang Chen, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said in response to the draft “NPC Decision on Improving the Electoral System of the HKSAR” that a full process of eligibility checking mechanism should be established for Hong Kong elections to ensure that “patriots rule Hong Kong. The “patriots rule Hong Kong”. The analysis says that Beijing has already made a move to subvert and stifle the democratic election system in Hong Kong.
According to the draft introduced by the Chinese Communist Party‘s National People’s Congress, Beijing will set up an additional “eligibility committee” in Hong Kong, which will be required to approve all candidates running for the Election Committee, the Legislative Council and the District Councils.
The Central News Agency reports that the Election Committee will increase its membership from the current 1,200 to 1,500, with an additional 300 members from a new fifth sector, who may be members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, leaders of patriotic groups, representatives of pro-establishment organizations, and others.
Beijing will also abolish the 117 seats held by the district councils in the EC and recognize them as non-government bodies. Radio France analyzed that the majority of seats held by the pro-democracy camp will be lost.
The nomination threshold for CE candidates will be increased from 150 to 188, and candidates will be required to obtain at least 15 votes in each sector. In other words, the new sectors will most likely be the final gatekeepers.
As for the Legislative Council, the number of seats will be increased from the existing 70 to 90, and 20 new seats will be returned by the EC. The five existing “super seats”, which are returned by the District Councils and elected by all Hong Kong people on a one-person-one-vote basis, will be abolished, but it is unknown how they will be filled.
According to the Economic Times, the new Legislative Council election is not expected to be held on September 5, as the EAC election, which is responsible for electing the Chief Executive in December, needs to be held before the Legislative Council election, and it has been rumored earlier that there will be only a Chief Executive election and no Legislative Council election this year.
Beijing has been making serious changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system for some Time, and it has been in the works for some time. The Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Mr. Xia Guolong, earlier defined the term “patriots ruling Hong Kong” and foreshadowed that Beijing would take the lead in “making the cut”. Hong Kong’s Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau announced on February 23 that it would submit draft legislation to the Legislative Council, requiring district council members to take an oath of “patriotism” in order to take office, in addition to members of the Legislative Council, or they would be banned from running for five years. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Tsang Kwok-wai said that it is “unjustifiable” to be patriotic but not recognize socialism.
Hong Kong people have expressed their opposition and concern, with Hong Kong’s Apple Daily reporting that Beijing is subverting and stifling Hong Kong’s democratic electoral system. Hong Kong Democratic Party Chairman Law Kin-hei said earlier that the establishment of a “Qualifications Committee” for candidates is tantamount to Iranian-style screening of elections, and reflects the authorities’ distrust of Hong Kong civil servants as gatekeepers. He pointed out that the more Beijing introduces such measures, the more distrustful the people of Hong Kong will be. At a time when many district councilors and former legislators who represent Hong Kong’s public opinion have been arrested and charged in Hong Kong and are unable to speak on behalf of the people, it is ironic that Beijing officials are listening to those who have been screened to talk about Hong Kong’s political system.
Taiwan‘s Central News Agency has also published an article pointing out that after the outbreak of “anti-China” demonstrations in Hong Kong, Beijing is “sparing no effort” to prevent forces advocating freedom and democracy in Hong Kong from entering the power structure, including the executive, legislature and judiciary. Beijing’s so-called rectification of Hong Kong’s elections is tantamount to an ideological “political integrity censorship system”.
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