Hong Kong leader defends elections after largest pro-democracy party shut out
Hong Kong’s leader has defended the rules for upcoming local elections as open and fair, even though an electoral overhaul means the city’s remaining pro-democracy activists won’t be part of the race.
The city’s largest pro-democracy party, the Democratic party, will be absent in December’s district council election for the first time since its establishment in 1994.
Party chair Lo Kin-hei said he and other members could not secure enough nominations under the new rules authorities introduced, which are designed to ensure that “patriots administer Hong Kong.” Other smaller groups from the camp had the same problem.
To enter the race, candidates have to secure endorsements from at least nine members of local committees that are packed with pro-government figures. Some pro-government politicians, including lawmaker Michael Tien, also said it was challenging for their groups to secure nominations.
Chief Executive John Lee said at a weekly news briefing on Tuesday that candidates have to respect the decisions of the people from which they sought nomination.
“It is up to you to ensure that you can convince the person you want to convince,” he said.
The district councils were the last major political representative bodies chosen by the public. Under the electoral overhaul, most directly elected seats in the municipal-level organisation have been eliminated.
The lack of participation from prodemocracy parties reflects the dwindling space for the movement in the city, after a government crackdown on dissidents following the anti-government protests in 2019.
Elections for the district council seats typically draw little international attention as the councillors mainly handled municipal matters, such as organising construction projects and ensuring that public facilities are in order.
But the councils took on importance after the city’s pro-democracy camp won a landslide victory in the last poll at the height of the 2019 protests