This reform, which was imposed by Beijing without the Legislative Council (LegCo, the Hong Kong Parliament) having a say, is part of the strong takeover of the former British colony initiated by Beijing after the huge protest movement of 2019.
A still fuzzy text
In a brief dispatch, New China merely indicates that “President Xi Jinping has signed the presidential orders promulgating the amended annexes”. But in fact, the 7.5 million inhabitants of the territory of south-eastern China do not know exactly what this law contains, the details of which have not been officially disclosed.
However, Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s only representative on the top decision-making body of the Chinese parliament, provided some details. “The amendments were passed unanimously by the 167 members of the Standing Committee,” he told AFP.
Fewer seats allocated by direct universal suffrage
The new law provides that the LegCo increases from 70 to 90 members. Only 20 seats (22% of the total) will now be allocated by direct universal suffrage, said Tam Yiu-chung. So far, 35 seats, or half of the total, have been so. And 40 seats will be allocated by a committee of pro-Beijing figures. The last 30 seats will be designated by socio-professional groups, according to a convoluted system which is already in place and which has always been favorable to Beijing.
In addition, anyone who stands for election must have previously been “approved” by a control committee created by the Hong Kong authorities, according to Tam Yiu-chung who explained that the body responsible for the implementation in Hong Kong of the drastic national security law would also have a say. “The Committee for National Security and the National Security Police will prepare reports on each of the candidates to help the validation committee review process,” he told AFP.
Source site www.europe1.fr
