Hong Kong district councils to be patriots only, John Lee says, with ‘one-third of seats’ to be directly elected, sources reveal

‘We will retain a certain number of seats chosen by elections’, city’s leader says, adding municipal bodies to be completely ‘depoliticised’ and administrative-led

Government is wrapping up long-running review of district councils aiming to prevent ‘hijacking’ of organisations by members of opposition camp following 2019 election

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Only a “certain number of seats” will be directly chosen by elections, the city’s leader has said. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 12:08pm, 25 Apr 2023Updated: 10:05pm, 25 Apr 2023

Future district councils will be comprised solely of “patriots” to avoid them from becoming hotbeds for pro-independence elements, Hong Kong’s leader has said, as sources revealed only about one-third of the 450 elected seats will be picked by the public.

The municipal-level bodies should be “depoliticised” and administrative-led, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday, adding that a review of how future district councils would function had almost been wrapped up.

“District councils deserve to be maintained as an important part of district administration and consultation,” he said before his weekly Executive Council meeting.

“We will retain a certain number of seats chosen by election while allowing people who love the country and Hong Kong and are willing to serve to participate in district councils through ‘various other ways’,” he added.

Chief Executive John Lee. Photo: May Tse

Lee stopped short of breaking down how many district council spots would be chosen by election and appointments, but a source familiar with the plan said only about one-third of the 452 seats would be determined by direct votes.