BEIJING: The highly expected draft decision to overhaul Hong Kong electoral system with the aim of fixing the loopholes in local governance is scheduled to be voted on and passed on Thursday as the annual two sessions conclude.
This reflects a shared consensus over the urgency and necessity about the implementation of the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong” while setting the tone for the city’s future development for the next 25 years and more.
One week after China’s top legislature officially introduced on March 4 a comprehensive reform plan for Hong Kong electoral system into this year’s two sessions agenda, Chinese lawmakers have gone through group discussions concerning the draft decision about improving Hong Kong electoral reform with detailed measures including enhancing the functions and roles of the Election Committee for electing Legislative Council (LegCo) lawmakers and the region’s chief executive, expand the scope of candidates to make local elections more representative and set up a high-level vetting committee to ensure candidates meet the principle.
As a highlight of China’s most important annual political meetings in 2021, Hong Kong electoral reform will soon be implemented following the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong, another significant piece of lawmaking to plug the loopholes in national security in the city and helping restore stability after months of radical anti-government protests that turned into black-clad riots. Local officials, lawmakers and scholars in Hong Kong consider these two pieces of legislation as major steps to fix the problems accumulated over the years since the city returned to the motherland in 1997, clarifying long-term misunderstandings about the “one country, two systems” principle and restoring the constitutional order of the city as one of China’s special administrative regions (SAR).
After listening to representatives from various aspects of Hong Kong society, the country’s top legislature came up with targets, procedures and detailed measures for the upcoming electoral reform for Hong Kong. The reform plan, which has been widely welcomed by the public, aims to exclude anti-government political figures who have no basic professional integrity and have made efforts to turn places such as LegCo, district councils and the Election Committee into platforms to take over the power of authority by engaging in subversive activities.
– The Daily Mail-Global Times News exchange item
