Hong Kong gears up for ‘patriots-only' poll amid boycott calls
With days remaining for Hong Kong’s legislative elections, candidates are hitting the Chinese-controlled city’s streets canvassing for last-minute votes. But residents say there is little enthusiasm to vote this time.
One woman told Al Jazeera that many voters in Hong Kong see the December 19 poll as a “selection” and not an “election”. That is because electoral reforms – introduced by Beijing earlier this year – mean that only candidates who passed the authorities’ “patriots only” vetting process were allowed to run.
Only three of the 153 candidates contesting this year’s election openly identify as pro-democracy, according to the South China Morning Post, marking a dramatic change in the semi-autonomous territory that was roiled by protests calling for greater democracy in 2014 and again, in 2019.
“What you see is people giving a very wide berth to candidates,” said the resident, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions.
“No one is taking a pamphlet. People see the candidates on the sidewalk and they cross the road, the same way they cross the road when they see a police station or the national security office.”
Originally set for September of last year, the election for Hong Kong’s legislative council was delayed for more than a year, with authorities citing concern over the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to postpone the vote followed a sweeping crackdown on dissent in China’s freest city, with mass arrests and Beijing introducing a national security law that criminalised subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. That law has been used to pursue politicians, activists and even the media. Most of the city’s pro-democracy politicians now are either in prison or in exile.
As Hong Kong’s political freedoms all but disappeared, Beijing took aim at the city’s parliament, known as the LegCo. The electoral changes have redrawn districts and cut down the number of candidates chosen directly by the public from 35 to 20.
Another 30 seats will be chosen by voting blocs linked to professions, and 40 seats will be appointed by a committee headed by Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leader, Carrie Lam.
Boycott calls
Amid the clampdown, the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute found that only 52 percent of respondents plan to vote, marking a 30-year low for the legislative elections. Many voters are expected to boycott the vote or spoil their ballot, although urging others to do so could lead to arrest.
Six people have been arrested so far for urging others to boycott, according to local media, or simply reposting Facebook posts about a potential boycott. The government has also issued arrest warrants for former legislators Ted Hui and Yau Man-chun, who have called for a boycott of the vote from exile in the United Kingdom and Australia, respectively. Read More…
