Outgoing veteran Hong Kong lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun has called for expanding the number of directly elected seats in the legislature, saying the move will broaden the political spectrum and boost voter turnout.
Mark Chong Ho-fung, the sole lawmaker-elect of the Roundtable party founded by Tien, also said on Tuesday that proposing the idea for political reform was to set the ball rolling and spur further discussion.
Sunday’s Legislative Council election was the second under Beijing’s revamped system, with only 20 seats directly elected via the geographical constituencies.
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The remaining 70 seats – 40 seats in the Election Committee constituency and 30 seats in functional constituencies – were chosen by a small circle of voters within their respective sectors.
Before the 2021 shake-up, half of the lawmakers were elected by all voters.
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Tien, who decided not to seek reelection, recalled on Tuesday that in 2021 he had attempted to convince Beijing to allocate 30 seats, or one-third of seats in the 90-strong legislature, to be directly elected. But his effort was in vain.