CHINA-HONGKONG: CHINA MAKES MAJOR CHANGES TO HONGKONG'S LEGISLATURE REDUCING THE NUMBER OF DIRECTLY-ELECTED LEGISLATORS
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On March 30, China’s government endorsed changes to Hong Kong’s legislature that reduce the proportion of directly elected representatives from 35 of 70 seats to just 20 of 90 seats. Under the new law, pro-Beijing businesses and professional groups will still choose 30 seats—the so-called functional constituencies—while a government-appointed election committee will choose 40 seats. In addition, the same election committee will screen all candidates, making even the 20 directly elected seats likely to be packed with “patriotic” officials. Hong Kong’s current Legislative Council has rubber-stamped the changes.
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