Home » Hong Kong, Beijing approved electoral reform. The government only “to the patriots”

Hong Kong, Beijing approved electoral reform. The government only “to the patriots”

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Over 600 pages that could be summed up in a slogan: “Only patriots in the government of Hong Kong”. The Legislative Council approved the new electoral law this morning: 40 in favor and only 2 against. No opposition in the former British colony’s mini-parliament since Beijing ruled out several pro-democracy MPs last year and more resignations in solidarity followed. “A new law that will guarantee orderly political participation,” said Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, secretary for constitutional affairs. An act of loyalty to Beijing to ensure that the demonstrations and clashes of two years ago do not repeat themselves.

Hong Kong, Beijing approves the reform of the electoral system: “Only patriots in Parliament”


The reform – the most significant since the city was returned by the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China in 1997 – had already been decided in March by Beijing during the Two Sessions, in the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square. The most significant novelty is the establishment of a commission that will have to judge the “patriotic” loyalty of every aspiring candidate for the Legislative Council, the single-chamber assembly.

In Parliament, then, the relationship between elected and appointed members (by pro-regime forces) will change in favor of the latter. In fact, this is a blow to any hope of democratic forces to exercise real opposition. The deputies will increase from 70 to 90, with the intention of diluting the weight of democratically elected candidates. Currently, half of the 70 seats are in fact directly elected, but that will be reduced to 20 with the additional seats chosen by the electoral committee. The rest will be represented by industries, trade unions and professions: all pro-Beijing figures. In addition, the weight of the pro-Beijing components will rise in the Electoral Commission – whose task is the choice of the governor – bringing them from 1,200 to 1,500.

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The elections for the new commission, the agency reports Reuters, are scheduled for next September 19th. Three months later, the vote for the assembly, with the committee expected to designate the new chief executive (the governor) on March 27 next year.

Hong Kong, vigil for Tiananmen: activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 months



Meanwhile, for the second consecutive year the Hong Kong police have decided to ban the vigil in commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, scheduled every year on June 4. The South China Morning Post.

Hong Kong, vigil for Tiananmen: activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 months



The police have informed the organizers that the event scheduled in Victoria Park will not be done to ensure compliance with the rules currently in force against Covid, which prohibit any public gathering of more than four people.

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