Hong Kong passes bill to 'depoliticize' municipalities, reduce directly elected representatives

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) — Hong Kong's legislative council passed the District Council (Amendment) Bill 2023 on Thursday without even a single opposition, paving the way for elections later this year by "depoliticizing" municipalities and drastically reducing the number of directly elected representatives from nearly 95% to a mere 19%, local media said.

The bill received unanimous support from all 88 members of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LegCo), with no objections or abstentions from any member during its third reading, the Chinese daily Global Times reported.

The newly implemented electoral reform places a strong emphasis "on the principle of having 'patriots' take charge of governing the city," the daily said.

Beijing claimed that the overhaul will put municipal bodies back on the "right track" after they were allegedly used by "anti-China factions" to disrupt city operations.

The bill, introduced by the government in May, is set to go into effect on July 10, paving the way for elections later this year.

The legislation aims to "depoliticize" the municipalities and drastically reduce the number of directly elected representatives from nearly 95% to a mere 19%, according to the South China Morning Post.

The remaining seats will be appointed by city leader John Lee Ka-chiu or chosen by 2,490 members of three district committees known for their allegiance to Beijing, it added.

Under the new system, the government's district officers will serve as chairpersons of the city's 18 councils, reintroducing an "administrative-led" approach that was abolished in 1985, the media outlet said.

Candidates will be subjected to a rigorous national security screening process and will need to be nominated by Beijing loyalist district-level committees, which could create significant barriers to opposition bloc participation, the South China Morning Post said.

However, according to the daily, the EU has expressed its concerns by stressing the importance of safeguarding fundamental freedoms, democracy, and political pluralism in Hong Kong, as guaranteed until 2047 under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and China's international commitments.

Following the passage of the bill, the Electoral Affairs Commission will begin preliminary work and practical preparations for the upcoming elections.

Radical changes in Hong Kong electoral law were imposed after the semi-autonomous region under China was rocked by anti-government protests in 2019 in response to the now-binned extradition bill.

Under the new changes, members of the LegCo increased to 90 from 70 in 2021.

However, the number of lawmakers elected by the public fell from the current 40 -- including the five-district council "super seats" -- to 20.

China brought changes to how Hong Kong residents elect their LegCo representatives and chief executive after imposing a national security law in 2020.