Hong Kong elite picks ‘patriots only’ MPs under China’s new rules

Hong Kong’s political elite voted on Sunday to pick new city MPs under Beijing’s “patriots only” rules.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam leaves a polling station after casting her vote on Sunday. Picture: AFP

Hong Kong’s political elite voted on Sunday to pick new city MPs under Beijing’s “patriots only” rules that drastically reduce the number of directly elected seats and control who can run for office.

It was the first legislature poll overseen by a new political blueprint that China imposed on Hong Kong in response to massive and often violent pro-democracy protests two years ago.

All candidates were vetted for their patriotism and political loyalty to China and only 20 of the 90 legislature seats were directly elected.

Voting centres were opened for 14 hours for 4.5 million registered voters in the city of 7.5 million, and counting would continue into Monday.

The largest chunk of legislature seats – 40 – will be picked by a committee of 1500 staunch Beijing loyalists. The remaining 30 will be chosen by reliably pro-Beijing committees that represent special-interest and industry groups.

Major private companies, including Chinese banks, property conglomerates and accounting multinational KPMG encouraged staff to vote, but despite the publicity blitz, the latest polls showed only 48 per cent of respondents said they would vote – a record low – and 52 per cent said they found no candidate worthy of support.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam sought to manage expectations, telling state media last week that a low turnout could indicate “the government is doing well and its credibility is high”.

Sunday’s election has received vocal backing from Beijing, which sees the new system as a way to root out “anti-China” elements and restore order in a legislature freed from a disruptive opposition.

Critics counter that authoritarian China has all but banned ­opposition politics in a city that once boasted a rambunctious political scene. Dozens of prominent opposition figures have been jailed, disqualified or have fled overseas.

The city’s biggest pro-democracy parties did not put forward any candidates and a growing number of Hong Kong activists abroad also advocated a boycott.

Activist Sunny Cheung and former MP Ted Hui hosted a livestream on Saturday aimed at persuading voters to stay home.

Hui, who now lives in Australia, tweeted on Sunday that the world should “look closely at Hong Kong’s sham election today, and think of the real candidates who were thrown in jail for almost one year now”.

AFP