ExplainerWhat you need to know about Hong Kong’s electoral changes and how they will reshape the political landscape

The legislature on Thursday passed amendments to local laws to implement the Beijing-imposed overhaul

As part of the shake-up, the Election Committee now wields wider powers, with a chief convenor holding ‘transcendent’ status

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Beijing’s top legislature the National People’s Congress approved the resolution for major political surgery of Hong Kong on March 11. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 9:57pm, 27 May 2021Updated: 11:24am, 28 May 2021

Barely a year after introducing a national security law in Hong Kong as a response to the social unrest of 2019, Beijing’s top legislature passed a sweeping resolution in March to overhaul the city’s electoral system.

Both sets of changes have been deemed necessary to ensure Hong Kong upholds the country’s national sovereignty and security, and that only patriots can govern the city, even as critics have accused Beijing of wanting to completely control the city’s affairs.

In April, the Hong Kong government then introduced the Electoral System (Consolidated Amendments) Bill 2021 to implement the electoral overhaul. The bill was passed on Thursday.

In the first of a two-part explainer series, we look at the changes and how they will reshape the city’s political landscape.

What is the electoral reform about?

Beijing’s top legislature the National People’s Congress (NPC) approved the resolution for major political surgery of Hong Kong on March 11. Later that month, its standing committee unveiled further details of the seismic shake-up when the apex body passed a more elaborate version.