District council polls overhaul: Hong Kong’s latest step towards ‘patriots-only’ governance

Ahead of the upcoming district council elections on December 10, 2023, Hong Kong has restructured its electoral system to ensure “patriots-only” governance in the municipal advisory bodies. The number of directly elected council seats has been cut from over 90 per cent to less than 20 per cent. Opposition politicians and activists say the revamp has taken away what was the city's most democratic election. Supporters argue the changes were needed to allow the councils to function properly.