AMN/ WEB DESK
The National People’s Congress of China on Tuesday unanimously approved the changes to be introduced to the Hong Kong Constitution to reform the electoral system thereby reducing the number of directly elected legislators in Hong Kong. It also delayed the city’s elections until December.
Publicly elected representatives will hold just over one-fifth of seats in Hong Kong’s next legislature, down from a majority, under constitutional changes adopted in Beijing. Candidates will also be required to pass two rounds of screening with two national security bodies and a Beijing-controlled committee, all vetting hopefuls for patriotism and support for national security before they can face voters.
The changes give Beijing and its handpicked local leaders vast powers to block any opposition candidate China deems disloyal, aiming to stamp out the intense anti-government sentiment that fuelled protests in 2019. As per media reports, Opposition groups said the changes would most likely leave them completely shut out of elections at all levels.
The authorities have waged an intense crackdown on the opposition with arrests and detentions. Last month, they charged 47 pro-democracy politicians, including most of the camp’s most prominent figures, with subversion under a national security law. Others are in court on charges of unauthorized assembly.