Defining the Legislative Council in the Hong Kong SAR: A Quick Overview.
Hong Kong's LegCo functions as a regional legislature with the mandate to pass and change laws for the city. However, polls for this assembly have experienced a significant decline in meaningful opposition amid sweeping political transformations in the last decade.
Subsequent to the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, a principle of "one nation, two systems" was promised, pledging that Hong Kong would maintain a level of autonomy. In the years since, analysts argue that civil liberties have been systematically curtailed.
Key Events and Reforms
During 2014, a bill was put forward that was designed to allow residents to vote for the Chief Executive. Critically, this process was restricted to candidates pre-approved by central authorities.
The year 2019 experienced extensive demonstrations, including an incident where protesters accessed the government building to demonstrate against a controversial extradition bill.
The Impact of the National Security Law
Implemented in June 2020, the National Security Law provided extensive authority to Beijing over Hong Kong's governance. Acts such as secession were criminalized. After this law, all significant political group ceased operations.
The Current Election Process
Elections for the legislature are viewed as Hong Kong's primary electoral process. However, regulations introduced in the past few years now stipulate that only candidates deemed "patriots" are eligible to contest seats.
- Membership Structure: Currently, only 20 out of 90 seats are directly elected.
- Remaining Seats: The majority are selected by a pro-establishment committee.
- Proposed Standards: Recent drafted standards would require legislators to unequivocally back Beijing's jurisdiction.
Public Response
With many avenues for dissent now restricted, abstaining from voting has become one of the limited safe ways for residents to register discontent. As a result record low voter turnout in subsequent LegCo contests.
