Election Committee will get biggest share of seats in Hong Kong’s revamped Legislative Council, top mainland Chinese official says

Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, concludes three days of consultative sessions in the city

He says he also gauged views from opposition politicians on the controversial overhaul of the electoral system

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Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, speaks to the press after a series of meetings on the city’s electoral overhaul on Wednesday. Photo: Handout

Published: 3:02pm, 17 Mar 2021Updated: 9:10am, 18 Mar 2021

A senior mainland Chinese official has confirmed the biggest share of seats in Hong Kong’s revamped legislature will go to members of a committee, long dominated by pro-establishment forces, that will now be empowered to decide candidates for the city’s most important elections under a drastic shake-up of the political system.

Concluding three days of consultative sessions in Hong Kong on Wednesday, deputy director Zhang Xiaoming of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said he had gauged views from opposition politicians in the city on the controversial overhaul of its electoral system.

He did not name the “pan-democrats” who were consulted, but said most attendees had agreed that the shake-up was a top priority.

“They agreed that the electoral reform should be based on Hong Kong’s actual situation,” Zhang said.

“They also agreed that the amendments … should be handled as a matter of urgency. The new selection methods of the chief executive and Legislative Council should be stipulated as soon as possible.”

Zhang was speaking hours after Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor proposed that Legco set up a subcommittee to start discussing the Beijing-decreed electoral reform before China’s top legislative body unveiled final details of the sweeping changes formally approved a week ago. That way, she said, local legislation could be fast-tracked to pave the way for polls for the Election Committee, Legco and the city’s top office in the coming year.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam in the Legislative Council chamber on Wednesday. Photo: K. Y. Cheng