Reuters :
Elections for Hong Kong’s legislature will likely be deferred for a second year to September 2022 as Beijing plans a major overhaul of the city’s electoral system, a severe blow to remaining democratic hopes in the global financial hub.
The delay, which South China Morning Post and other local media reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources, would be in line with a new effort by Beijing to ensure “patriots” are in charge of all public institutions in the former British colony.
Zhang Yesui, a spokesman for the National People’s Congress, said on Thursday it had the constitutional power to “improve” Hong Kong’s system and a draft decision would be discussed during the annual parliamentary session which opens on Friday.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in his government work report delivered to parliament on Friday that China will “resolutely guard against and deter” interference by external forces in Hong Kong’s affairs.
Most high-profile pro-democracy politicians and activists are either in jail or in exile after authorities cracked down on mass anti-government protests in 2019, culminating with the imposition of a national security law last year.
Still, Beijing is keen to eliminate any possibility of the opposition affecting the outcome of elections in Hong Kong, whose return to Chinese rule came with a promise of a high degree of autonomy.
Hong Kong Secretary for Mainland and Constitutional Affairs Erick Tsang has defined “patriotism” as “holistic love” for China, including the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.
Riding high on the back of the 2019 protests, the democratic camp had some slim hopes of winning an unprecedented legislative majority in 2020 elections, which the government postponed, citing the coronavirus.
But with some political parties disbanding and pro-democracy politicians in jail, it is unclear what shape any future opposition will take in Hong Kong and how its message could fit with the patriotic loyalty demanded by the Communist Party.
