Changes to Hong Kong’s electoral rules will tighten China’s control over the city. The newly passed rules cut the number of directly elected seats in parliament by half and the prospective candidates must be vetted by a pro-Beijing committee to ensure their loyalty. The goal is to only allow “patriotic” figures in positions of power.
People fear this means the end of democracy and will allow the removal of all opposition forces from parliament. The leader of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, disagrees and supports the decision to only allow patriotic people in office, stating that with allegiance to Hong Kong and Basic Law, people will be allowed to run for a seat. The first vote under the new legislation will be to elect members to Hong Kong’s Legislative Council in December.
