Will democracy have a chance in Hong Kong after Beijing’s sweeping electoral reform?
- Pro-establishment camp says overhaul was urgently needed, only way out of city’s political stalemate
- Opposition camp says host of new controls makes it meaningless to contest elections in future
Pro-establishment politicians presented a united front, insisting that reforms were needed urgently.
“If Hong Kong continues to be stranded in political infighting, we can never find a way out on our own,” said Starry Lee Wai-king, chairwoman of the largest pro-Beijing party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB).
Opposition players slammed the reforms as rendering participation in elections meaningless.
Democratic Party veteran Lee Wing-tat said the major changes set in motion by Beijing were a “flawed exercise” for the lack of consultation, and called the overhaul a retrogression that would snuff out all democratic elements in elections.
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China’s national legislature approves biggest shake-up to Hong Kong electoral system since handover
“In the past, we could still say half the seats in the Legislative Council were directly returned, but not anymore,” he said.
