The territory’s chief executive is selected under electoral laws approved by the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China in 2021, diminishing universal suffrage and giving mainland authorities near-total control over the selection of the chief executive. The Election Committee (EC), which was expanded under the new laws and is mostly made up of individuals backed by Beijing, selects the chief executive. Carrie Lam announced her decision not to seek a second term in that post in April 2022. Former security secretary and chief secretary for administration John Lee was the only candidate vetted to succeed her; he won 1,416 votes in the 1,500-member EC in May and took office in July.
Under the 2021 rules, Beijing can vet candidates for the Legislative Council (LegCo) and EC, who must be “patriots.” The number of EC members was also increased from 1,200 to 1,500. Of the 300 new representatives, 190 are delegates of either the NPC or the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top government advisory body. The remaining 110 members represent “Hong Kong members of relevant national organizations.” The number of eligible voters who select EC members was cut from some 200,000 “functional constituency” voters—representatives of elite business and social sectors, many with close Beijing ties—to around 4,800. Most individual votes were replaced with organizational votes; unions and other groups may cast only one vote on behalf of their members.
Nearly all of the 967 EC seats contested in September 2021 were filed by candidates considered to be aligned with the Beijing-backed authorities. The remaining 533 seats were occupied by individuals nominated directly from designated organizations and by ex officio members.