Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, September 19th. Title: Hong Kong’s new electoral system has been implemented and the principle of “patriots ruling Hong Kong” is vividly implemented
Xinhua News Agency reporter Cha Wenye
Hong Kong’s new electoral system has been successfully implemented! The general election of the subsector of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Election Committee in 2021 was held smoothly on the 19th. This is the first election after the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s electoral system has been improved.
On the morning of the 19th, despite the extremely hot weather, voters still eagerly lined up for admission outside many polling stations. At 9 o’clock, voting began at 5 general polling stations and 1 dedicated polling station in Hong Kong. The reporter saw outside the polling station of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center that the staff and volunteers were busy and not chaotic, the election was running smoothly, and the voting was orderly.
According to the anti-epidemic regulations, voters and staff must wear masks, take their body temperature, disinfect their hands, and maintain social distance after entering the ticketing station. Each polling station has also set up a fast voting channel for the “care team” dedicated to the elderly, pregnant women and other needy persons.
“The new system plugs the original loopholes and completely excludes anti-China chaos in Hong Kong from the governance structure. This election is of great significance.” Chen Kairong, chairman of the Hong Kong Youth Association who participated in the voting, said that the election will give the Election Committee a firm grasp. In the hands of patriots, it effectively ensures national sovereignty, security, development interests, and Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.
According to the “Decision of the National People’s Congress on Improving the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Electoral System” passed by the Fourth Session of the 13th National People’s Congress in March this year, the electoral committee’s size was expanded to 1,500 and the composition of sub-sectors was optimized. In addition to the election of candidates for the chief executive, two important functions have been added to elect a larger proportion of legislative council members and directly participate in the nomination of all legislative council candidates.
The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Carrie Lam, told reporters that this election is the first election after the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s electoral system has been improved. Ensure that the practice of “One Country, Two Systems” is stable and far-reaching.
“Hong Kong does not allow anti-China chaos Hong Kong elements to make trouble again, and they must get back on track,” said Ms. Li, a middle school teacher. Mr. Lao, who works in a foreign trade company, hopes that the new selection system can select people who truly serve Hong Kong, so that Hong Kong can regain stability, the rule of law and prosperity.
According to an announcement by the Electoral Affairs Commission, 412 candidates competed for 364 seats in 13 subsectors on that day. Among the 1,500 seats of the Election Committee, 325 people have been ruled to be validly registered as ex officio members of the Election Committee, 156 people have been ruled to be validly nominated as members of the Election Committee, and 603 candidates are automatically elected (because the Legislative Council members have not yet held general elections and Some ex officio members are less than 1,500 due to overlapping status).
The broad representation and balanced participation of the election committee under the new election system have also attracted public attention. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong generally believe that the restructured electoral committee breaks through the limitations of the interests of a certain sector, region or political group, and will prompt the SAR government to improve its administrative efficiency.
According to the decision of the National People’s Congress, the Election Committee was expanded to five major sectors, new sub-sectors such as fellow associations and grass-roots associations were added, and representatives of Hong Kong members of the national group were added to the fifth sector. The Election Committee also includes representatives of small and medium enterprises, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and university presidents.
“The new Election Committee has a wider range of sectors, with more participants, and sectors such as youth and grass-roots organizations have the opportunity to enter the governance structure. The new election system is more balanced and tolerant, allowing more people from the grassroots. The voice of the representative of Hong Kong can better represent the overall interests of Hong Kong.” As a representative of the grassroots society, the chairman of the Hong Kong Island Women’s Federation, Jin Ling, who has been automatically elected as a member, said that she will take the initiative to walk into the community to help the people solve practical difficulties.
“I hope Hong Kong will no longer be as chaotic as in previous years!” “Let the citizens live and work in peace”…On the Internet, “live and work in peace”, “stability” and “development” are high-frequency keywords in the comments of netizens on polling day. They hope that the new electoral system will select the talents and abilities, and elect steadfast patriots with governance capabilities, and elect a bright future for Hong Kong.
“This election is different from the past. The phenomenon of’pan-politicization’ has disappeared, reducing unnecessary political disputes.” Mai Meijuan, a member of the SAR Legislative Council and an ex-officio member of the Election Committee from the Federation of Trade Unions, said that the new election system has Help straighten out the relationship between the executive and the legislature, ensure that the Legislative Council focuses on economic and people’s livelihood issues, and promote the SAR government to improve its administrative efficiency.
“Hong Kong can’t waste time anymore, we must catch up. Let us work together and work hard for Hong Kong!” said Wu Qiubei, a representative of the National People’s Congress of the Hong Kong District and an ex-officio member of the Election Committee.
