"In 2014, the Chinese government introduced a bill allowing Hong Kong residents to vote for their chief executive, the city's head of government, but only candidates approved by Beijing. In 2019, amid months of protests, hundreds of residents broke into the city's legislative complex, angry over a proposed extradition law that would allow people to be sent to China to face charges."
"China introduced laws in 2021 that ensured only government-approved pro-Beijing patriots were eligible to run for seats, and a new code of conduct, proposed in July, would require legislators to sincerely support Beijing's jurisdiction. Today, only 20 of the 90 available seats on the LegCo are directly elected by the city's residents, with the remaining chosen by the pro-Beijing Election Committee and special interest groups."
Hong Kong's Legislative Council serves as the city’s lawmaking body but meaningful opposition has been largely removed. The one country, two systems promise of autonomy since 1997 has seen gradual erosion of freedoms and democratic processes. Beijing limited chief executive candidates in 2014 and 2019 protests erupted over a proposed extradition law that would send people to China for trial. The 2020 national security law criminalised secession and subversion and expanded Beijing's powers. Post‑2021 laws and a proposed conduct code restrict candidacy to pro‑Beijing patriots, leaving only 20 of 90 LegCo seats directly elected and contributing to record low turnout.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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