Hong Kong’s new Election Committee gets packed with even more Beijing allies, removing risks of uncertain outcome in chief executive race
- Look at new rules reveals more than two-thirds of representatives either appointed by authorities or pro-establishment bodies
- Changes leave around 500 seats to be chosen through election, with corporations not individuals voting
More than two-thirds of representatives sitting on the all-powerful body which now oversees Hong Kong’s key elections have either already been appointed by the authorities or will be hand-picked by pro-establishment chambers or groups, the Post has found.
The remaining 500 seats in the 1,500-strong Election Committee, now tasked with picking the city’s leader, nominating lawmakers, and even fielding representatives of its own to the legislature, will be chosen through elections. But they will be chosen by corporations and groups with a heavy pro-Beijing leaning, and not individuals.
While some newcomers to the committee vowed to guard against unpatriotic figures running in elections, critics and analysts warned the stringent set-up would not only marginalise the opposition, but also prevent any meaningful races within the pro-establishment bloc.
A closer look by the Post has shown that at least 1,003 seats in the Election Committee under the new rules will be firmly controlled by Beijing or its supporters in Hong Kong. Among those, some 458 will either be appointed or hand-picked by pro-establishment bodies.