no need to hold district council elections

Former Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying paves the way for the liquidation of Hong Kong’s local assemblies, in whose 2019 elections pro-democracy forces won a landslide victory. Frozen since 2021, his term would expire at the end of this year. Meanwhile, the police interrogate trade unionists who want to organize the May 1 march.

Hong Kong ( / Agencies) – “It is not necessary” to hold elections for Hong Kong district councils. This was stated in an interview with the television channel I-wire Leung Chun-ying, former chief executive of the city from 2012 to 2017 (before Carrie Lam’s tenure) and current vice president of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPCPC). His words -spread on the web Hong Kong Free Press– raise fears about the intention to liquidate the district bodies in whose November 2019 elections the pro-democratic forces reaped a historic affirmation, by obtaining a majority in 17 of the 18 councils with a record participation of more than 70% of voters with right to vote

Since the National Security Law came into force in Hong Kong, the district councils have been practically frozen: when asked to swear allegiance to the government in July 2021, the vast majority of councilors resigned in protest. However, the mandate of these bodies lasts four years, so theoretically they would expire at the end of 2023.

Already last October, the current Chief Executive, John Lee, had announced a “review of the municipal administration” to ensure that the District Councils function “in line with Hong Kong’s requirements of patriotic leadership.” After all, in 2021 it had already been modified ad hoc the electoral system of the Legislative Assembly, Hong Kong’s “parliament”, reducing the number of directly elected members to just 20 out of a total of 90 and introducing a pro-Beijing control commission to select candidates.

So now, rather than celebrate new electoral fraud, the pro-Beijing front seems determined to abolish voting for local bodies outright. “Basically,” said Leung, “the ward councils are consultative organizations. There are many in Hong Kong, some even have administrative powers, like the Housing Authority and the Urban Renewal Authority. But none of them are made up of people He added: “Holding public votes does not mean being progressive”, presenting as an example in this regard the Legislative Assembly of Hong Kong before the revision of its electoral system, which was too little “patriotic”.

Meanwhile, union activists Joe Wong and Denny To, who were organizing a Labor Day march in Hong Kong on May 1, complained on social media that police had questioned them about the source of the funding and about how they would prevent violent groups from “hijacking” the act, alluding to the pro-democratic demonstrations. To his comments, Security Secretary Chris Tang responded threateningly that “words are weapons” and those who use their words to incite others to commit a crime will be punished.