Wondering about how the CK Hutchison-Beijing problem will be resolved. Over the years, CKH has invested more and more internationally, and now less than 15% of the company’s revenues come from China/Hong Kong. Maybe in another couple of years, we’ll wake up one morning and find the whole conglomerate has discarded its last remaining asset here and disappeared, leaving a message taped to the old head office door asking that any mail be sent to a tiny plastic flower factory in Tsuen Wan for forwarding. So long and thanks for all the fat margins.
The Hong Kong government announces that the Legislative Council election will take place on December 7…
All candidates will have to undergo vetting for patriotism and acquire nominations from a 1,500-strong Election Committee, which itself will also appoint 40 lawmakers from its own ranks.
Only 20 LegCo seats will be voted for democratically by the public, while the remaining 30 spots will be occupied by legislators from functional constituencies, mostly specific to particular industries, trades, or professions.
Lee also said on Tuesday that the Election Committee has 90 vacancies – a separate vote will be held on September 7 to fill the posts.
Members of the Election Committee, elected in a “small circle” vote, are considered to be Beijing loyalists. As of 2024, there were about 8,600 registered voters for the Election Committee, consisting of the city’s businesses, professionals, and delegates to China’s legislature, among others.
After pre-screening and nomination, all candidates for all 90 seats will in practice be filled by candidates who are hand-picked. Judging by the last exercise in 2021, even the 20 ‘democratically’ elected seats will have no genuinely independent – let alone opposition – candidates, leaving voters with no real choice. And thus no incentive to actually turn out. In an effort to get voting numbers up, the government might offer free public transport rides on the day, and will definitely remind everyone that it is illegal to urge others to boycott the poll. But it won’t be like the old days when voters could choose among well-known popular (or unpopular) personalities on the ballot. Officials will be keeping their fingers crossed that they can get the turnout above 30%.
How about we all start calling them the so-called elections?
But I think we all know that making a joke like that would get you in all sorts of trouble.
Time to look out for a nice picture frame at the second hand charity stores to add to the display of poll cards…………………………………..
In a city where people queue up overnight to be present at the opening of a new public toilet, achieving a 30% election turnout ought to be a breeze.
@Steve Bannon – but a public toilet is actually useful.
@Paul ‘Win-Win Harmonious Elections with Special Chinese Characteristics’ should pass?
For some reason, I’m recalling the winners of the latest Nobel Prize in economics:
“This year’s laureates in the economic sciences – Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson – have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity. Societies with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better. The laureates’ research helps us understand why.”