The mainland Chinese Communist Party may radically change the election methods of the Hong Kong Legislative Council in an attempt to bar pro-democracy candidates from entering the legislature, according to lawmaker Cheng Chung-tai, reports the HK Apple Daily newspaper.
Speaking on a RTHK radio talk show, pro-Beijing lawmaker Priscilla Leung said she has yet to hear anything about the speculated changes, but agreed that the changes may help excluding “low quality” people from entering politics, to ensure the implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle.
Since pro-democracy lawmakers have proven they can win at least 117 members in the 1,200-member legislative body, Beijing was rushing to implement the reforms to stop the opposition from using the elections to mobilize, said Cheng, a lawmaker from the Civic Passion Party.
Pro-Beijing officials disqualified nearly all pro-democracy candidates in the last regional elections last year, and this month, more than 60 dissidents have been rounded up by police in Hong Kong in a crackdown on pro-democracy activists.
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