Newly formed Election Committee in Hong Kong set to pick next Legislative Council, city’s Chief Executive

The election of the seventh-term Legislative Council in Hong Kong will be the first test for the city's newly voted-in Election Committee — the body charged with nominating candidates for the chief executive election, electing the chief executive, as well as the selection of LegCo members — since the special administrative region introduced a new national security law and overhauled its electoral system.

The election of the LegCo is expected to take place in December 2021.

Under the overhauled electoral system, only 5,000 people were eligible to vote in September for the formation of the Election Committee of 1,500 persons, choosing from pre-vetted candidates.

Of the Election Committee’s 1,500 seats, three-quarters were uncontested or set aside for designated government allies.

The five-year term of the new Election Committee begins October 22 of this year and runs through October 21, 2026.

The new system has been dubbed the "patriots rule Hong Kong," as current Chief Executive Carrie Lam has stated there is but one objective behind the newly-approved electoral system — to ensure patriots administer Hong Kong.

"In many ways, the overhaul and new rules are a reaction to the 2016 LegCo elections, which saw an unprecedented 2.2 million voters turn out," says Jimmie Jeremejev, managing director at LehmanBush.

In December, the Election Committee will appoint 40 of the city’s 90 seats in the legislature. Additionally, 30 will be chosen by special interest groups and 20 will be directly elected.

The Legislative Council in Hong Kong is the city's domestic unicameral legislature, and sits under China's "one country, two systems" constitutional arrangement.

The functions of the Legislative Council are to enact, amend or repeal laws; examine and approve budgets, taxation and public expenditure; and raise questions on the work of the government. In addition, the Legislative Council is also given the power to endorse the appointment and removal of the judges of the Court of Final Appeal and the Chief Judge of the High Court, as well as the power to impeach the Chief Executive of Hong Kong.

The second test for the Election Committee will be to select the special administrative region’s next Chief Executive.?

The 2022 Hong Kong Chief Executive election is scheduled for March 22, 2022. It is the highest office in Hong Kong. Incumbent Carrie Lam, elected in 2017 — who will finish her current term in June 2022 — will be eligible to run for a second term.

In addition to Lam, there are six other potential candidates for the position, though no official announcement has been made for actual candidates.?

Hong Kong politician CY Leung — who served as the third Chief Executive of Hong Kong between 2012 and 2017 — is being mentioned as a potential candidate for the upcoming Chief Executive elections.

Other names floated as candidates include current Executive Council and Legislative Council member Regina Ip; Charles Li, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Exchange from 2010 to 2021; Chairman of Sing Tao News Corporation Limited Charles Ho; Paul Chan, the current financial secretary of Hong Kong; and Norman Chan, the former chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority until 2019.

"It is still very early to consider chief executive candidates," says Bobby Afshar, managing director at LehmanBush. "The next chief executive for Hong Kong is going to be the face of the special administrative region at a time of intense focus on the city of Hong Kong, as well as Beijing, its relationship with the international business community, and how to move forward with the COVID-19 pandemic."