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Hong Kong electoral changes
Hong KongPolitics

Explainer | Hong Kong’s electoral shake-up: making sense of the political tectonic shift of the past 10 days through 10 questions

  • Sweeping changes to city’s electoral system so fast and furious many were caught by surprise
  • Expanding and empowering the Election Committee at core of changes

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The speed of the electoral reforms planned for Hong Kong has caught many by surprise. Photo: Reuters
Natalie WongandTony Cheung
Beijing’s sweeping changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system were so fast and furious that many across the political spectrum were caught by surprise.
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Ten days into the approval of the changes by China’s top legislature on March 11, Beijing officials completed consultative sessions with more than 1,000 individuals in the city, they said, and the pro-establishment bloc floated various proposals in the hope of fine tuning how rules of three upcoming elections would be rewritten.

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China’s national legislature approves biggest shake-up to Hong Kong electoral system since handover

China’s national legislature approves biggest shake-up to Hong Kong electoral system since handover
Ahead of the upcoming meeting of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee which is expected to be held later this week at the earliest, here are 10 things to help you make sense of the changes being imposed on Hong Kong’s political scene.

1. What is this electoral overhaul all about?

The changes are intended to expand and empower the Election Committee, a 1,200-strong body dominated by the pro-Beijing camp, which picks Hong Kong’s chief executive. The revamped 1,500-member electoral college will be given sweeping powers to nominate lawmakers and elect some of its own members to the Legislative Council, which will be expanded from 70 seats to 90.

The composition of the body will also be drastically revamped. Not only will a new 300-member sector composed of Hong Kong representatives of pro-Beijing groups be added, sub-sectors held by the opposition might be slashed to ensure patriots wield overwhelming power in the committee.

2. What’s Beijing’s definition of a patriot? Who decides?

Patriots, according to Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong, Xia Baolong, are those who safeguard national interests and sovereignty, respect the constitution and do not oppose the Chinese Communist Party. He had said those who called for foreign forces to interfere with Hong Kong affairs, destroyers of “one country, two systems”, were deemed “unpatriotic” and not allowed to enter the city’s governing structure.
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