Nearly 80 per cent of the 93 vacancies in Hong Kong’s Election Committee – which nominates and selects the city’s leader – will see no competition in next month’s by-elections.
During the nomination period from July 22 to Monday, the government received 101 nominations for the 93 vacancies across 28 sectors, according to a statement issued on Monday. The by-elections will be held on September 7.
Local media reported on Tuesday that 72 seats across 22 sectors will be uncontested, with nominees expected to be automatically elected after passing a national security vetting.
The six sectors where competition will take place include Commercial (Third), Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape, Technology and Innovation, Labour, as well as representatives from three government-appointed committees in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories, according to HK01.
Ming Pao reported that 25 nominees were district councillors, with the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) – the city’s largest pro-establishment party – fielding the most candidates.
The Election Committee gained significant powers after Hong Kong overhauled its electoral system in 2021. Its size expanded from 1,200 to 1,500 members, and it was granted new authority to nominate lawmakers and directly elect 40 out of the 90 seats in the Legislative Council.
Nominees who fill the 93 vacancies next month will have the power to influence the upcoming Legislative Council election in December. The committee is also responsible for nominating and electing the chief executive.
According to the voter registration statistics updated last month, the Election Committee subsectors have a total of 8,877 registered voters, including 5,567 group voters and 3,310 individual voters.
The number dropped from 257,992 in 2020, as many individual voters, such as teachers, were no longer allowed to cast their ballots. Instead, they were represented by corporate voters.
Previously, District Councils held 117 seats on the Election Committee. However, these were removed in the 2021 electoral overhaul, following the pro-democracy camp’s sweeping victory in 17 out of 18 District Councils during the 2019 elections, held amid the extradition bill protests.
The elections were the last fully democratic race in the city.
In March 2021, Beijing passed legislation to ensure “patriots” govern Hong Kong. The move reduced democratic representation in the legislature, tightened control of elections and introduced a pro-Beijing vetting panel to select candidates. Authorities say the overhaul ensures the city’s stability and prosperity. But the changes also prompted international condemnation, as much of the traditional opposition remains behind bars, in self-exile or has quit politics.
