Hong Kong delayed legislative elections are finalized for December. Leader Carrie Lam has said that the semiautonomous Chinese territory’s legislative elections will be conducted in December. Its been more than a year since they were postponed by authorities due to public health risks from the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, Lam announced that laws will be amended so that inciting voters not to vote or to cast blank or invalid votes will be made illegal. Although it’s the wish of the voters to boycott voting or cast votes.
“When a person willfully obstructs or prevents any person from voting at an election, we will consider it corrupt conduct,” stated Lam.
Lam marked the date of elections as December 19. The elections were initially planned to be held last September.
Beijing in March proclaimed changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system. The changes included expanding the number of seats in the legislature while reducing the number of directly-elected seats from 35 to 20.
The move is part of a two-phase attempt to rein in political protest and opposition in Hong Kong, which is part of China but has had a more liberal political system as a former British colony. China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong the previous year and is coming up this year with a revise in the electoral process.
The crackdown comes in the wake of months of pro-democracy protests in 2019 which drew hundreds of thousands to the streets. They turned violent as the government opposed the movement’s demands.
In the present 70-member legislature, voters elect half the members and the other half are elected by constituencies representing various professions and interest groups. Many of the constituencies lean pro-Beijing, assuring that wing a majority in the legislature.
The new body will contain 20 elected members. Under the n 30 chosen by the constituencies and 40 by an Election Committee which also chooses the city’s leader.
The committee, which will be increased from 1,200 to 1,500 members, is dominated by supporters of the central government in Beijing.
A new, separate body will also be established to review the qualifications of candidates for office in Hong Kong. This will be done to ensure that the city is administered by patriots, in the language of the central government.
Elections for the Election Committee, which will choose the city’s leader and 40 lawmakers, will take place on Sept. 19. Elections for the chief executive will be held on March 27, 2022, Lam said Tuesday.
