Next decade in Hong Kong holds little hope of political change, as Basic Law amendments sideline local government, pro-Beijing heavyweights say

Revamp of annexes I and II of the city’s mini-constitution eliminates ‘five-step process’, leaves central government as sole initiator of changes to local election system

Multiple observers tell Post changes likely locked in place for the next decade and beyond; ‘this is once and for all’, city’s sole delegate to NPC Standing Committee says

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Residents carry the national flag outside Hong Kong’s government complex on Tuesday to show their support of a radical revamp of the city’s electoral system. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 8:00am, 2 Apr 2021Updated: 5:15pm, 2 Apr 2021

Beijing’s massive shake-up of the Hong Kong electoral system is likely to remain in place for at least the next decade, as new amendments to the city’s mini-constitution have left no room for the local government to manoeuvre, according to several pro-establishment heavyweights.

A Post review of the two new Basic Law annexes shows that the local government’s authority to initiate political reform has been eliminated through the removal of the so-called five-step process for changing election procedures, with the power now solely in the hands of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.

Concrete details such as the precise allocation of Legislative Council seats have also been specifically spelled out for the first time in history.

Critics have argued the changes to the city’s mini-constitution reflect Beijing’s determination to take complete control of the city’s political system.

The NPC Standing Committee on Tuesday passed a sweeping proposal that radically overhauled Hong Kong’s electoral system.

The number of lawmakers elected to the Legislative Council by the general public was slashed to the lowest proportion since the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997, while the Beijing-controlled Election Committee was empowered to both field representatives of its own to the legislature and nominate those from outside their ranks.

A vetting committee comprising principal officials was also mandated to screen out candidates deemed “unpatriotic” with the assistance from the police national security unit. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s committee for safeguarding national security will play an intermediary role between the two.