Hong Kong electoral changes: number of eligible voters for powerful committee plunges 97 per cent, education subsector emerges biggest group
- Provisional figures show number of registered voters has shrunk 97 per cent from 246,000 in 2016 race
- Education subsector, now biggest voter group with 1,725 schools and institutions, had more than 100,000 individual electors before
The education sector, followed by area, fight crime and fire safety committees, has emerged as the biggest group among about 7,900 voters eligible to cast ballots for seats on Hong Kong’s revamped Election Committee in September.
Provisional figures released by the electoral authorities on Sunday showed the number of registered voters has plunged 97 per cent from 246,000 in the last race in 2016.
The Election Committee was originally only tasked with picking the city’s leader, but after the shake-up, it will now select 40 members of the legislature, to be expanded to 90 seats, and nominate the rest.
Under the overhaul, the committee will grow from 1,200 members to 1,500, while individual electors will be curtailed in favour of a corporate voting system in its largely trade-based subsectors, including ones where the opposition camp used to prevail.