Hong Kong leader says democratic reform ‘settled,’ ‘not an issue’ during his term

Chief Executive John Lee has said that democratic reform is not on his administration’s agenda, as the issue has been settled.

During a Wednesday press conference following his 2024 Policy Address, Lee was asked by an HKFP reporter whether universal suffrage was on the agenda for his administration following calls for democracy by the League of Social Democrats (LSD) that morning.

“Political reform has been settled, at this moment, with the introduction of – first of all – the new election system for LegCo members, for the chief executive, and also after improving the district administration system,” Lee said in reference to the Legislature Council (LegCo) and District Councils. “It’s settled – it will not be an issue in this term of government.”

He added that it was important to ensure the electoral reforms were run smoothly and functioned effectively to realise their maximum benefit.

Ahead of his address, activists from the pro-democracy group wielded a banner outside the legislature saying:  “Detached from public opinion; empty talk about reform, return to democracy, reform people’s livelihood.”

The LSD called for dual universal suffrage and for people’s constitutional rights and freedoms to be protected, including the right to vote, as well as the freedom of the press and free speech. 

Electoral revamps

In March, 2021, Beijing passed legislation to ensure “patriots” govern Hong Kong. The move reduced democratic representation in the legislature, tightened control of elections and introduced a pro-Beijing vetting panel to select candidates. The Hong Kong government said the overhaul would ensure the city’s stability and prosperity. But the changes also prompted international condemnation, as it makes it near-impossible for pro-democracy candidates to stand.

Plans to overhaul the District Council elections were unveiled in May 2023 to ensure only “patriots” were elected, following a pro-democracy landslide at the last polls in 2019.

The number of seats chosen democratically by the public was slashed from 452 to 88 – reducing the power of public votes to a fifth. The rest are now chosen by the city’s leader and government-appointed committees.

Constituency boundaries were redrawn, the opposition were shut out, voting hours were slashed by an hour, and each local council is now chaired by a government official, similar to colonial-era arrangements. All candidates undergo national security vetting to ensure patriotism.

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