NPCSC to meet next week on election overhaul

The National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) will meet next Monday and Tuesday to discuss Beijing’s overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system, according to the SAR’s sole delegate on the committee, Tam Yiu-chung.

Tam said on Monday that the NPCSC will be amending annexes one and two of the Basic Law, which cover the method to select the chief Executive and to form the Legislative Council as well as its voting procedures.

Under the overhaul, the number of Legco seats would go up from 70 to 90, and the election committee that chooses the chief executive will contain 1,500 members, up from 1,200 at the moment.

A vetting process will also be established to ensure candidates are “patriotic”.

The National People’s Congress endorsed the sweeping electoral reforms to the SAR on March 11 in a near unanimous vote.

Once the NPCSC completes its work, the SAR government will table bills to the local legislature to amend related laws.