Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy political party has approved its central committee to handle the election matters for December’s legislative race following a special members’ meeting.
It came after a months-long debate over whether the Democratic Party should participate in the revamped, restrictive poll or not amid huge pressure from the authorities.
On Sunday, September 26, 2021, the party decided to allowed to set up a procedure where the parties have to inform the committee of their intention who would like to run in the Legislative Council election.
Pressure to participate
The chairperson of the Democratic Party Lo Kin-hei said that anyone wishing to run the central committee would call another general meeting to allow all the members to raise questions about the opposition’s potential candidates. On being asked if the meeting placed responsibility and pressure on potential candidates, the chairperson said that the party would never allow someone who does not want the responsibility of taking part in the elections.
Hong Kong’s Democratic Party fails to reach conclusion on whether to run in overhauled legislative election https://t.co/00s22B0xSs pic.twitter.com/gnsMKf1bER
— Hong Kong Free Press HKFP (@hkfp) September 27, 2021
The chairperson added that although the decision reached in the meeting does not determine the candidates’ participation in the race. But it will also ensure that the party would fulfill procedural requirements.
Overhauled elections When the lawmakers passed a bill first drafted by Beijing after the city’s electoral systems saw a sweeping overhaul in May to ensure only the patriots govern Hong Kong. This move reduced the democratic representation in the legislature, tightened the control of elections, and introduced a pro-Beijing vetting panel to select its candidates.
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