China Denies Full Democracy to Hong Kong
China's Parliament rejected Sunday the demands of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong to be allowed to choose the former British colony's next leader in 2017.
China presented a plan for the first direct election in Hong Kong in two years; however, the legislature laid down strict limits to the proposed voting reforms.
The pro-democracy activists, who have been staging rallies for months calling for free democratic elections, have vowed to bring Hong Kong's financial hub to a standstill, Reuters reports.
The new limits stop the citizens of the special administrative region from directly nominating candidates, which the activists have been demanding.
The decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) to let only two or three candidates run in the 2017 leadership vote only contributed to deepening of the confrontation over the political future of the city as well as China, the New York Times reports. The NPC also said that it was mandatory for all candidates to first obtain majority backing from a nominating committee, which will probably be full of Beijing loyalists.
This limit set by the NPC - which is considered to be China's final authority on Hong Kong's democratic matters - makes it almost impossible for the opposition democrats to contest the elections.
"This is a legal, fair and reasonable decision. It is a dignified, prudent decision, and its legal effect is beyond doubt," Li Fei, deputy secretary general of the NPC standing committee, told the media after the decision. He added that the candidates must "love the country, and love Hong Kong" - and would "protect the broad stability of Hong Kong now and in the future."
On the other hand, a pro-democracy lawmaker - Lee Cheuk-yan -said: "Even if we accept a fake democracy model, there's no assurance at all, that for the next vote, there'll be real democracy," Al Jazeera reports.
