Political situation
Written by: Lin Jian
2020-07-22 07:00
Last update date: 2020-07-22 07:00The Legislative Council elections held in September are affected by the epidemic and it is unknown whether they can be held as scheduled. In recent days, the establishment has repeatedly proposed that it should be postponed. Tan Yaozong, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, even stated that it is currently inconvenient for people to travel between China and Hong Kong. Hong Kong residents living in other cities in the Greater Bay Area may not be able to return to Hong Kong to vote.
If the elections are held as scheduled, how to facilitate those who are not in Hong Kong to vote will be a major challenge for the authorities. In fact, since the reunification, the political circles have put forward at least two major proposals, namely, voting by mail and setting up voting stations directly overseas. In particular, there are at least hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong people living in mainland China. The establishment must be very nervous about this. I hope that the easier it is for them to vote, the better.
It is convenient for people outside Hong Kong to vote. Some people think it respects the rights of citizens. However, there is no advantage to both sides. Such an approach may not only lead to political accusations by "ganging a certain faction", but also risk inconsistent with the spirit of the current law. The potential dispute may lie in a principle of the current Legislative Council Ordinance...
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540,000 people stay in Guangdong Province for a long time or become potentially important ticket warehouses
There are frequent exchanges between China and Hong Kong, and many Hong Kong people often travel back and forth between China and Hong Kong. Some people even live in neighboring cities in Guangdong Province for long-term purposes, such as work, business, and elderly care. According to statistics from the Census and Statistics Department, as of mid-2019, there are about 540,000 permanent residents in Hong Kong who usually stay in Guangdong Province. The relevant figures of other provinces and cities are not included. In addition, according to figures from the Social Welfare Department, there are 1,815 Hong Kong residents under the "Fujian Plan" (that is, Hong Kong people who live in Fujian Province for a long time but are allowed to receive local public welfare payments).
It is true that all the more than 500,000 Hong Kong people cannot be qualified voters. However, the current number of voters in Hong Kong exceeds 4.455 million, accounting for about 60% of the total population of Hong Kong. With reference to this ratio, assuming that about half of the more than 500,000 people are eligible to vote, the number of votes involved may also be hundreds of thousands. , Is a huge ticket warehouse. Politically, it is generally believed that Hong Kong people who have more connections with the Mainland tend to support the establishment.
As for Hong Kong people living in overseas countries, the government has not yet released the full figures. According to scattered statistics, about 680,000 permanent residents in Hong Kong moved overseas in the previous 20 years in 2003, and the number has not been updated for many years. Therefore, it is more difficult to judge the voting situation of Hong Kong residents living overseas.
For this reason, even in the absence of the epidemic, the establishment has sufficient motivation to promote overseas Hong Kong people to vote, and the focus will be more concentrated on the mainland. Now that the people from China and Hong Kong are inconvenient to travel, the establishment is naturally more nervous about elections. If the final voting date remains unchanged, the Hong Kong Government will inevitably have to formulate another policy to facilitate Hong Kong people in the Mainland to vote.
According to information from the Legislative Council, currently in other countries and regions, there are two most common ways to facilitate referendums in overseas countries, namely, allowing mail to vote and setting up polling stations in designated overseas locations such as consulates. In fact, many politicians such as the chairman of the DAB Li Huiqiong and the Federation of Trade Unions Huang Guojian have asked the government to study overseas voting arrangements. Li Huiqiong wrote an article the year before that: "The SAR government should study as soon as possible how to allow eligible voters who work or live in the Mainland to vote in the 2020 Legislative Council election."
Hong Kong people living in the Mainland may be important potential warehouses for the establishment. (Profile picture)
Principle of the current law: voters should "usually reside in Hong Kong"
However, there may be a dispute in the current law to allow voters who live in the Mainland or overseas to vote.
According to Article 27 of the Legislative Council Ordinance, Hong Kong permanent residents aged 18 and above must meet two major requirements to be eligible to register as voters for the Legislative Council elections and district board elections: 1. Meet the usual residence requirements; 2. Registration Main local residential address; Articles 24 and 28 further stipulate that if a registered voter "no longer normally resides in Hong Kong", he will not have the right to continue to register as a voter by virtue of his existing registration qualifications, and the Electoral Registration Officer shall also have the right to the voter The name is omitted from the register. In other words, whether people who live in mainland China or overseas countries can be counted as suitable voters is a potential question.
A document published by the Information Research Group of the Legislative Council last month also raised a question in principle: If a resident no longer normally lives in his place of origin and has no connection with his place of origin, allowing them to vote to affect the election results may be The existing residents of the original place bring another kind of injustice.
The voting arrangements for the Legislative Council election have become the focus. The establishment has been keen to promote Hong Kong people in the Mainland to vote. (Profile picture)
Set up another ticket station overseas or does not comply with the principles of existing laws
Of course, in reality, Hong Kong is an international city with frequent exchanges with the Mainland and free movement of people. Voters "usually reside in Hong Kong" at the time of registration does not mean that their voting status remains unchanged. In terms of implementation, it is always impossible for polling station staff to verify the entry and exit records of each voter one by one. In addition, the current law does not have an objective definition of the word "usually residing in Hong Kong", which creates more gray areas.
Therefore, voters currently living abroad will not immediately lose their qualifications. As long as they can return to Hong Kong on the polling day, they will be able to vote in the constituency originally registered. The government cannot verify one by one. However, the reality returns to reality. It is a matter of another level to set up a new voting method specifically for citizens who live outside Hong Kong and directly allow them to vote abroad. Whether this will go against the existing legal principles, the government must first figure out when considering it.
A reporter from "Hong Kong 01" is asking the Registration and Electoral Office about the eligibility of voters for Hong Kong residents living abroad and is now waiting for a reply.
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