Patriotic Candidates Need Only Apply

The District Council Election is Dec 10

The Hong Kong District Council elections will be held on December 10 and the candidates have been decided.

Since the rules for these elections have been overhauled, only "patriots" are eligible. 

In order to qualify, hopefuls had to get nine nominations from area committees by Monday Hong Kong time. 

Lee says only patriots qualify to run in electon

That resulted in 171 candidates vying for 88 directly-elected seats in 44 constituencies. Some 4.3 million people are eligible to vote.

"The purpose is to select the best people... You have to convince the public and ensure they agree you are qualified and competent to serve the district," Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said.

"Those securing the nominations should be capable people who truly love their country and Hong Kong."

Perhaps that explains why none of the six hopefuls from the Democratic Party got any nominations?

Even pro-establishment lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun's Roundtable Party had only one of five get enough nominations to become a candidate.

Nevertheless, Lee claimed the system was fair regardless of their background.

"I think that is the most important, the system has to be fair and applies to everybody in the same way," he said. 

All six of Lo's party hopefuls were shut out

"That is the most important principle for all elections to be considered -- fair and equal application. A candidate will have to respect the decision of the person he seeks the nomination from... it is up to you to ensure that you can convince the person you want to convince."

Keep in mind the main role of district councillors is to talk to residents in the area about making roads safer in the neighbourhood by proposing more stop lights or crosswalks be added, help residents with any bureaucratic problems they face, or suggest more green spaces for residents to enjoy.

Back in 2019 Hongkongers used the District Council elections as a referendum on the government's handling of the protests because they had no other way to voice their concerns.

And now four years later the government is using these elections to ensure only select voices are heard.

A friend wrote on social media about being surprised no representatives from the Democratic Party or "centrist" party could become candidates, because if they lost, they would lose more face in an election than being disqualified.

However, it seems Lee or rather Beijing wants to ensure nothing goes wrong December 10 and only have sure winners.

But perhaps more telling will be the voter turnout...