Universal suffrage in Hong Kong

Democratic development in Hong Kong

Democracy protesters on 13 January 2008 demanding universal suffrage by 2012
Date	1952–ongoing
Location	Hong Kong
Participants	HK Govt., LegCo, Pan-democrats, people of Hong Kong

Democratic development in Hong Kong has been a major topic since the transfer of sovereignty to China in 1997. The one country, two systems principle allows the Hong Kong government to administer all areas of government except foreign relations and (military) defence separately from the national Chinese government. Many Hong Kong citizens became concerned about democratic development when the first Chief executive of Hong Kong Tung Chee-hwa appeared to have mishandled this issue. Other democracy-related issues involving human rights and universal suffrage became the new focal point for the pro-democracy camp. Ever since the 1950s, the Chinese government has continually threatened the British in attempting to bring any democratic developments in Hong Kong. Attempts to bring Hong Kong citizens on to the negotiating table by the British during the Sino-Anglo discussions were rejected by Beijing in the late 1980s. The last governor Chris Patten faced a great deal of opposition in changing the former colony's political system.

Since the election of CY Leung as Chief Executive in 2012, democratic development have come to a halt. The Umbrella Revolution, which was triggered by students disaffected with the continued stalling of Beijing, and in particular the pronouncement of the NPCSC of 31 August 2014 that Hong Kong must accept a version of universal suffrage for the Chief Executive in 2017 where up to three candidates are pre-approved by the Election Committee – an electoral college widely seen to be loyal to Beijing authorities.

In 1856, then governor Sir John Bowring proposed that the constitution of the Legislative Council be changed to increase membership to 13 members, of whom five be elected by landowners enjoying rents exceeding 10 pounds. This timid attempt at an extremely limited form of democracy (there were just 141 such electors of whom only half were non-British) was rejected by the Colonial Office on the basis that Chinese residents had no respect "for the main principles upon which social order rests."