Hong Kong Holds Sunday Parliamentary Election After Fire Kills Apartment

JAKARTA - Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades has increasingly suppressed Beijing's government system, overshadowing elections widely seen as a further step towards tightening control over the city's legislative body.

Voting on Sunday, December 7, to elect a new member of parliament for Hong Kong's 90-member Legislative Council came just 11 days after a massive fire engulfed seven towers in the apartment complex that killed 159 people in the worst fire in the financial center since 1948.

With so many voters in the city politically apathy since China's crackdown on pro-democracy camps in recent years, Sunday's voter participation rate will be the main barometer of public sentiment towards the government and its handling of the fire.

While there have been no significant public protests as the dire effects of widespread security crackdowns that began five years ago, some residents have voiced their concerns about government surveillance in building maintenance projects and official investigative efforts.

Nearly 40% of incumbents, including big names and politicians who are quite vocal, have resigned for this election.

More candidates with business ties to mainland China, as well as more Chinese lawmakers, join this competition.

Observers argue this list of candidates signifies the tightening of Beijing's control, even against its loyalists, and preference for politicians that are more in line with its agenda.

From the end of September, many seasoned lawmakers announced one by one that they would not run again. Regina Ip, a prominent member of Hong Kong's cabinet, said she wanted to pass the baton on to the younger generation and denied age was a factor.

Some relatively vocal MPs have also resigned. One of them,US Kong, insisted he did not face pressure to step down.

The change has attracted widespread attention to the legislature, which is now fulfilled by Beijing loyalists after China overhauled election rules in 2021.

Under the regulation, the number of directly selected seats was reduced from 35 to 20. The other forty seats were selected by the election committee, most of which were pro-Beijing, with voters from the professional, business and other sectors appointed to choose another 30 seats for their industry.

All candidates must pass the official examination, including by the national security authorities.