Changes Won't Limit Political Participation, Says CE

Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Thursday said that changes to the city’s electoral system are not aimed at removing opposition, but safeguarding national security.

Lam told reporters at a press conference that there had been lawmakers, without naming names, who had left behind their work in Hong Kong to go to the United States to call for sanctions against the SAR, which would harm the city.

She said such "loopholes" in the local system which "had nothing to do with democracy".

She said the changes endorsed by the National People’s Congress earlier on Thursday, to ensure only patriots would administer Hong Kong, would not narrow the scope of political participation.

"We're not making the Legislative Council more supportive of the SAR government,” she said. “We're just making sure that Legco ... won't do anything to undermine national security and will continue to allow Hong Kong to move forward.”

Lam added that electoral systems all over the world need to adhere to the constitutional order – and for Hong Kong, that would be complying with the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle.

The CE also said Beijing's decision to set up a committee to vet the eligibility of candidates kills two birds with one stone.

Lam said this committee would take over from returning officers and do the vetting in a more convincing manner, as people had questions whether such an important task should be given to civil servants who serve as district officers or as senior secretaries at bureaus.

She added there was no date set yet for the next Legco election, but since the election committee will have to nominate candidates and elect lawmakers among themselves, it makes sense to hold the polls for the latter first.