Political change in Hong Kong
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A small group of Beijing supporters in Hong Kong have had their first vote in the city since China changed the electoral system in Hong Kong last year to end “China’s opposition”.
The election committee’s inquiry, the body that will elect Hong Kong’s next prime minister and a number of legislators, has removed many former democrats and reduced the power of local cultural businesses.
The electoral reforms increased the size of the election committee by a quarter to 1,500 people but significantly reduced the number of voters, from 246,440 in 2016 to 4,380 on Sunday.
“[The] successful. . . Research committee selection. . . has established a political law that Hong Kong should be run by patriots, while Chinese insurgents should be shut down, ”the Chinese embassy in Hong Kong said.
Beijing has begun reorganizing elections in Hong Kong in response to anti-democratic protests in 2019. The campaign, which aims to bring Hong Kong to the rest of the world, has forced many opposition politicians to flee the city or end up in prison.
Repairs too reduces the number of directly elected seats in Parliament, Parliament in Hong Kong, and provided an opportunity for all those who want to express their “patriotism” that removes their fellow citizens from the democratic camp.
Pro-Beijing political leaders say the federal government wants more suppressing influence of the city’s economists – who have been involved in politics for some time – to help improve affordable housing. China somehow blames domestic problems in one of the world’s most expensive markets due to the 2019 riots.
The select committee is divided into “ethnic” groups, groups and organizations representing people whose parents come from different parts of China.
This year, for example, the Chiu Chow federation, which counts Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing as the country’s most respected president, has not been offered any seats on the committee.
Many powerful Hong Kong merchants have their roots in the Chaozhou region, represented by the agency, located northeast of Guangdong province.
“Beijing knows that you need to make some changes in order to reduce the power of large families,” said one Beijing psychologist. “Then there will be less barriers to decision-making.”
When the results were announced Monday, one opponent, Tik Chi-yuen, won the committee. More than 600 people were already elected before the vote.
One candidate who spoke to the Financial Times could not name the role he wants to play. With so few voters, the voters did not have as many people outside the polling station in Wan Chai on the island of Hong Kong when FT visited.
“They [the voters] they have a lot of power over ideas and the allocation of resources, so the election committee is very important, “said Lee Kin Man, a voter at the end of the week and a former election committee member.
Carrie Lam, the senior, is still unfit to represent the new leader in March. Beijing makes it very clear who is elected before the vote.
The previously elected committee consisted of three camps; Believers in Beijing, families and economists, says Ivan Choy, a lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “In the past, Beijing had to negotiate with the tycoons to get more than half of the election committee seats,” he said.
“Now Beijing is interested in changing the location and location of Hong Kong.”