- Title: Timeline of Hong Kong politics ahead of Chief Executive election on May 8
- Date: 1st May 2022
- Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (FILE - JULY 2, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS PROFANITY*** ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF DAMAGE AND GRAFFITI CONTAINING PROFANITY INSIDE LEGISLATURE BUILDING AND OFFICES Thousands of protesters surrounded the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong, throwing paint bombs and writing graffiti on the politically sensitive building. HONG KONG, CHINA (FILE - JULY 21, 2019) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS SHINING LIGHTS AND THROWING PAINT BOMBS AT THE CHINESE PEOPLE'S LIAISON OFFICE IN HONG KONG Hundreds of members of China's People's Armed Police (PAP) could be seen conducting exercises at a sports stadium in Shenzhen, in what an editor of a hardliner Chinese state-run publication called a "clear warning" to protesters in Hong Kong. SHENZHEN, GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA (FILE - AUGUST 15, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ARMOURED PARAMILITARY VEHICLES PARKED ON ROAD NEXT TO SHENZHEN BAY SPORTS CENTRE CHINESE SOLDIERS FORMING A CONTINGENT AND MARCHING Social distancing rules imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus increasingly put the brakes on mass protests in early 2020. On May 28, 2020 China's parliament overwhelmingly approved imposing national security legislation on Hong Kong to punish what Beijing broadly defines as secession, subversion, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces with up to life in prison. BEIJING, CHINA (FILE - MAY 28, 2020) (REUTERS) PARLIAMENT IN SESSION PARLIAMENT IN SESSION / SPEAKER SAYING (Mandarin): "NOW A STAFF MEMBER WILL ANNOUNCE THE RESULTS OF THE VOTE" / BLUE SCREEN SHOWING VOTING RESULTS, READING (Chinese): "IN FAVOUR: 2,878; OPPOSED: 1; ABSTAINED FROM VOTE: 6" / AUDIO OF DELEGATES AND OFFICIALS CLAPPING Hong Kong's new national security office opened with a ceremony attended by Hong Kong's top officials including Carrie Lam. The Metropark Hotel was transformed into the Office for Safeguarding National Security, headed by ‎Zheng Yanxiong‎, with living quarters for employees. HONG KONG, CHINA (FILE - JULY 8, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF OPENING CEREMONY OF HONG KONG'S NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICE CHINESE NATIONAL EMBLEM
- Embargoed: 15th May 2022 03:49
- Keywords: China Hong Kong Occupy Sino-British Joint Declaration Umbrella anniversary extradition handover national security one country protests two systems
- Location: HONG KONG, BEIJING, SHENZHEN, CHINA
- City: HONG KONG, BEIJING, SHENZHEN, CHINA
- Country: Hong Kong
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00B008001011970RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS PROFANITY; PART AUDIO QUALITY AS INCOMING
Key moments in the political history of Hong Kong, a former British colony that has been China's freest and most international city. The global financial hub will choose its new chief executive on Sunday (May 8) in polls where John Lee, a former security official, is the only candidate. City leaders are selected with Beijing's tacit approval.
Current leader Carrie Lam, who has governed the city through the unprecedented upheaval of anti-government protests and COVID-19, said she will not seek a second five-year term of office.
Hong Kong's future leader, former police officer John Lee, is expected to take up office on July 1, and be the first security official to run the global financial hub.
Hong Kong selects a leader every five years under a process that Beijing oversees behind the scenes. Since the city reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997, there have been four chief executives, all of whom have struggled to balance the democratic aspirations of some residents with the vision of China's Communist Party leaders.
The city's 7.4 million people have no say in who leads them. City leaders are chosen in a vote by an election committee stacked with pro-Beijing loyalists, ensuring that Beijing approves the decision. In a major overhaul of Hong Kong's electoral system last year to meet Beijing's demands that only "patriots" run the city, this committee was enlarged from 1,200 to 1,500 members. Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, states that universal suffrage for all residents is an "ultimate aim" for choosing the leader.
China's reluctance to advance democratic reforms has long been a lightning rod for the city's opposition democrats and liberal-minded citizens, stoking protest movements including the "Umbrella Revolution" in 2014 and pro-democracy protests in 2019.
After the recent electoral overhaul, many observers say China's promise to allow full democracy at some point in future will never be kept.
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