NPCSC Applauds Itself For Agreeing Basic Law Changes

The National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) on Tuesday approved amendments to annexes I and II of Hong Kong's Basic Law to pave the way for a drastic overhaul of the SAR's electoral system, according to local member Tam Yiu-chung.

Tam said the 167 members of the body gave themselves a "huge round of applause" after the unanimous decision, which will see the number of Legco seats chosen by ordinary Hong Kong voters slashed from 35 to 20, even as more seats are added.

One of the major revamps includes expanding the role of the election committee that currently chooses Hong Kong's leader so that it will, in future, also participate in the nomination of all Legco candidates and pick some members of the council itself.

There will also be changes to the size, composition and method for forming the election committee.

While the exact details of the changes have yet to be officially announced, Tam told reporters in the capital that even though the committee will be expanded from the current 1,200 to 1,500 seats, district councillors will lose all 117 places they currently have.

Instead, the body will consist of more CPPCC delegates as well as members of groups that “love the country and love Hong Kong”.

Tam stressed that the changes are needed to reflect “balanced representation” in the local electoral system and stop those who intend to “ruin Hong Kong” from getting a seat on the election committee or in Legco.

The pro-Beijing stalwart added that after the expansion of Legco from the original 70 to 90 seats, almost half of the seats – 40 of them – will be handpicked by members of the election committee.

Thirty of the seats will consist of functional constituency members, while only 20 will be chosen by eligible voters in the geographical constituencies.

There will also be changes to functional constituencies, with individual voters in some sectors to be replaced by group votes – a change critics say will see sectors originally dominated by the pro-democracy camp change hands to the pro-establishment camp.

Tam said these amendments are needed to “strengthen” the role of Legco so that it will cooperate and yet monitor the work of the SAR government in future.

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