What is the Legislative Council in the Hong Kong SAR: A Brief Explanation.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's LegCo functions as a law-making body with the authority to enact and revise laws for the territory. Yet, electoral processes for this assembly have experienced a sharp reduction in genuine political alternatives during a period of significant systemic transformations in the past few years.
After the 1997 handover, a model of "one country, two systems" was promised, vowing that Hong Kong would retain a level of autonomy. Gradually, critics contend that these freedoms have been increasingly eroded.
Significant Milestones and Changes
In 2014, a bill was introduced that would have allow residents to choose the head of government. Notably, this process was confined to contenders pre-approved by the mainland government.
During 2019 was marked by widespread unrest, culminating in an incident where demonstrators accessed the legislative complex to express anger against a controversial law.
The Impact of the National Security Law
Passed in 2020, the National Security Law provided unprecedented powers to central authorities over Hong Kong's affairs. Activities such as collusion were made illegal. In the wake of this law, every major political group ceased operations.
The Current Electoral Framework
The council polls are considered Hong Kong's primary political process. Nevertheless, laws introduced in 2021 now guarantee that only candidates deemed pro-establishment are permitted to stand for election.
- Membership Structure: At present, only 20 out of 90 seats are directly elected.
- The Majority: The balance are selected by a special interest groups.
- Proposed Standards: Newly drafted standards would require legislators to unequivocally back the mainland's oversight.
Public Response
Amid most means of expression now criminalized, abstaining from voting has emerged as one of the remaining safe ways for residents to express dissent. As a result record low voter turnout in subsequent LegCo elections.
