China’s parliament is poised this week to pass a draconian new Hong Kong election law that will sharply reduce the proportion of democratically elected legislators and consolidate President Xi Jinping’s grip on the territory.
The move will effectively end decades of democratic development in Hong Kong and comes less than a year after the National People’s Congress imposed a national security law on the city, under which dozens of pro-democracy activists have been charged with subversion and other crimes against the state punishable by long prison terms. The NPC began its annual session in Beijing on Friday and will formally unveil the new election law when it concludes on Thursday.
Half of Hong Kong’s 70-seat Legislative Council is directly elected by geographic constituencies. The remainder are chosen by industry sectors whose representatives overwhelmingly support Beijing. The formula has helped ensure that pro-democracy candidates, who routinely capture…