Hong Kong elections are likely to be postponed for another year, to September 2022, local media reports. Previously, the parliamentary elections were postponed by the authorities due to the corona crisis.
The pro-democracy opposition in Hong Kong fears that the cancellation of the ballot box will give Beijing more room to undermine the metropolis’s special status. Hong Kong enjoys a certain degree of autonomy within China.
But Hong Kong, a British Crown Colony until 1997, is not a full-fledged Western-style democracy. Voters can only directly elect part of the parliamentarians. China introduced a controversial security law last year after persistent mass protests. That gave the authorities more options to deal with activists. Many prominent pro-democracy opposition members and activists in Hong Kong have since been detained or moved abroad.
The Hong Kong issue is also on the table at the Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing. Parliament will consider the metropolis’ electoral system at the annual meeting, which was announced in advance.
A spokesman for the NPC said Congress has the constitutional authority to “improve” Hong Kong’s electoral system. According to observers, Beijing wants to limit the opposition’s influence on the electoral process as much as possible.
A senior Chinese official recently said that only “patriots” should run Hong Kong. Xia Baolong made it clear that he referred to people loyal to the People’s Republic of China and the communist party in power there. Prime Minister Li Keqiang also stated at the NPC opening that his country will “resolutely guard” against outside interference in Hong Kong, and it will “deter”.
