Hong Kong to cut democratically elected seats on local councils

The Hong Kong government has decided to change the way local district councils are filled, it announced, slashing the number of democratically elected seats by 80 per cent and instituting a vetting system for candidates, Nikkei Asia reported.

The decision is yet another major setback for the city's pro-democracy movement, which has been under pressure since Beijing's enactment of a national security law in 2020.

The proposal reduces the number of seats that are directly elected from 452 to 88. The chief executive, who serves as the leader of the Hong Kong administration, and local committees with ties to the government would appoint the majority of the seats, according to Nikkei Asia.

Candidates would also need to go through a thorough vetting process to weed out those who oppose the Hong Kong or Chinese governments in addition to being nominated by local committees.

Read Here | Beijing's warning on Hong Kong protests: ‘Not the only way to express interests’

There are 18 district councils in Hong Kong, and up until this year, most of the members were chosen democratically. They serve as discussion forums for neighbourhood issues and a means of capturing voter sentiment during elections. The upcoming elections, which will take place in November or December, are intended to mark the start of the new system, as per Nikkei Asia.

Chief Executive John Lee stressed the necessity for stable administration at a news conference by alleging that violent Hong Kong pro-independence activists have previously infiltrated councils.

In 2019, when anti-government protests were at their height, the pro-democracy movement swept to an overwhelming victory, winning more than 80 per cent of district council seats.

Since then, new laws have been passed forcing politicians to swear allegiance to the Hong Kong government; any who do not will be compelled to resign or have their positions removed. According to local media, over two-thirds of the 380 individuals who were elected in 2019 are no longer in their positions, Nikkei Asia reported.