Hong Kong elects an electoral committee reserved for “patriots.”

Hong Kong’s political elite on Sunday, September 19, appoints a powerful committee to select the city’s next president and half of the legislature.A new system “Reserved for Patriots” Imposed by Beijing.

“This is an important election but the turnout is not high.”Current Hong Kong President Gary Lam told reporters. He added that the new system would ensure that “Anti-Chinese troublemakers” Not anymore “Prohibition” To the government.

About 4,800 Hong Kong people are allowed to vote to elect an election committee equal to 0.6% of the city’s 7.5 million population, and less than 6,000 police officers have been appointed to ensure the election. . In 2016, before the reform, about 233,000 Hong Kongers were able to vote.

At risk, the choice of the next leader

The majority of the 1,500 seats affected in Sunday’s poll will be established automatically or selected by special interest groups, and in fact only 364 seats will have to be filled by ballot.

All people running for public office must be free from threats to political allegiance and security.

In December, the committee will nominate 40 of the 90 seats on the city’s legislative council – 30 to be selected by special interest groups and only 20 to be directly elected.

Next year, he will elect the next ruler of Hong Kong, recognized by China. Beijing says the new political system is over-represented and that it will block elements “Anticinoys” Did not come to power.

On the contrary, its opponents claim that it does not allow pro-democratic opposition and that it is turning Hong Kong into a mirror of Communist-led China’s dictatorial territory.

“Toys under the control of Beijing”

“Hong Kong people completely cut off from electioneering”Nathan Law, a prominent Democrat who fled to Britain last year, told the Agencies France-Presse (AFP). “All candidates for the election will become spectacular puppets under Beijing’s complete control, without any significant competition.”, He added.

Ted Hui, a former legislator who visited Australia, felt that Hong Kong’s political system was now in place “A stomping game completely controlled by Beijing”. “It’s more than a managed democracy. It’s a dictatorship, it’s trying to look like civilization.”, He commented to AFP.

China has pledged to retain its key freedoms and autonomy for fifty years after Hong Kong surrendered to the United Kingdom in 1997. But Beijing began to tighten its grip on the city following the 2019 protests.

Chinese leaders were also stunned by the overwhelming victory of pro-democracy candidates in the Chinese council elections that same year – the only civil service positions in Hong Kong fully elected by universal suffrage.

In addition to the new constitution, China also enacted a broad national security law that criminalized most dissent.

Several opposition figures have been jailed, dozens of pro-democracy groups have been shut down, including the city’s most popular newspaper, and tens of thousands of Hong Kongers have fled abroad. Others have been disqualified for their political views.