The 94 Percent Directly Elected Hong Kong District Councils Will Be ‘All But Gone’

Planned 'reform' reduces direct seats from 452 to 88 for the coming election

On May 2, the Hong Kong government announced the composition for the next district council, and the ratio of directly elected seats has been greatly reduced from about 95 percent to less than 20. May 2, 2023.Sung Pi-Lung/The Epoch Times

The Hong Kong government announced on May 2 what the next District Council (DC) would look like. The number of directly elected (by universal suffrage) seats has been dramatically reduced from the current 452 seats to 88, and the proportion has dropped from about 94 percent to about 19. This is criticized by both the academic and political circles as a massive setback.

The current Hong Kong District Council (DC) term will end on Dec. 31 this year. The Hong Kong government announced that there would be 470 members in the next District Councils, of which 179 are appointed (38 percent), 176 (37 percent) are from district committees, only 88 are directly elected (19 percent), while retaining the 27 (six percent) as ex-officio rural committee seats. Directly elected seats have been greatly reduced from 452 to 88, and the proportion has dropped from about 94 percent to about 19 percent.

District Officers to Chair the 18 District Councils

Under the new setup, 18 district officers (Administrative Officer or AO grade) will serve as chairpersons in their respective District Councils. A “District Council Eligibility Review Committee” will be added, which will undertake screening to confirm any aspiring candidates before becoming eligible for the elected seats. In case needed, the review committee may consult the National Security Council. Remuneration and allowances of district councilors remain unchanged, but a new system will be added to continuously monitor performance. The authority will put a “list of negative behaviors” as guidelines to assist with monitoring the district councilors, and investigations will be conducted for those “failing to meet public expectations.”