The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong unanimously voted to assist a bill that overhauls town’s district councils on Thursday, which is able to dramatically cut back the variety of straight elected seats on district councils. Beneath a 2021 change to Hong Kong’s election regulation, the district councils served as one of many final methods for Hong Kongers to straight have their voices heard in elections.
In accordance with the report printed by the 15-member Payments Committee in command of drafting the amended invoice, the brand new invoice goals to revive the perform of district councils to offering providers reasonably than being organs of political energy. The invoice additionally goals to strengthen the district governance construction. The precise affect of the invoice, nevertheless, reduces the quantity of seats straight elected by the general public from about 90 p.c to solely 20 p.c. The opposite 80 p.c shall be both appointed (40 p.c) or elected within the District Committees Constituency election (40 p.c). Additionally, underneath the amended invoice, the full variety of members in district councils shall be barely decreased from 479 to 470.
The invoice additionally introduces a brand new eligibility assessment mechanism, which is able to be sure that those that are elected to the district council seats are “patriots administering Hong Kong.”
In a press release, a authorities spokesperson stated the modification is supposed to “put an finish to the chaos of the sixth-term [district councils] and restore [district councils] to the suitable monitor.” The spokesperson additional commented that the “effectivity of district governance shall be enhanced” and Hong Kongers could have a “better sense of well-being.” The spokesperson went on to say:
The proposals strictly adhere to the three guiding rules for enhancing district governance, particularly: (1) in accordance high precedence to nationwide safety; (2) absolutely implementing the precept of ‘patriots administering Hong Kong’; and (3) absolutely practising executive-led governance.
In response to the modification, the EU printed a statement accusing the reform of violating the dedication to democratic illustration set out within the Hong Kong Basic Law and additional undermining the “one nation, two methods” precept. The EU additionally urged the Chinese language and Hong Kong governments to determine common suffrage and protect Hong Kong’s excessive diploma of autonomy.
The invoice’s passage comes amid an growing crackdown on pro-democracy efforts in Hong Kong. Simply this week, Hong Kong authorities charged eight individuals with separatism underneath the identical regulation and arrested another five people for suspected contravention. In response to the continuing crackdown, the US issued a brand new travel advisory for his or her residents, advising in opposition to touring to China, Hong Kong or Macau as a result of “arbitrary enforcement of native legal guidelines…and the danger of wrongful detentions.”
The modification invoice will come into impact on July 10.
