China wants to decide in the coming days how it will proceed with the regional parliament of the special administrative zone after the postponement of the parliamentary elections in Hong Kong. To this end, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the highest decision-making body in the Chinese parliament, convened a four-day session today. Beijing intends to either extend the soon-to-run legislative term or to appoint a transitional body.
The legislative term of the Hong Kong Legislative Council expires on September 30th. As a result, new elections were scheduled for September. In July, however, Hong Kong’s Prime Minister Carrie Lam announced that the election would be postponed by one year. She cited the increase in coronavirus infection cases as the reason.
The opposition democracy movement in Hong Kong had actually hoped to get a majority in the regional parliament in the September election. There is international concern that the democracy movement is being suppressed by the Beijing Security Act on Hong Kong. According to the law, activities that the authorities consider subversion, secession, terrorism or conspiracy with foreign forces can be punished with life imprisonment.
