BEIJING – China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will hold a Legislative Council election on Sunday, the first since improvements were made to the region's electoral system earlier this year.
Under the principle of "one country, two systems," the leadership of the HKSAR must, first and foremost, safeguard the fundamental interests of the country while representing the common interests of people from all social strata, circles and walks of life in Hong Kong, as well as those of investors in the region.
In recent years, some anti-China forces seeking to destabilize Hong Kong and radical separatists advocating "Hong Kong independence" exploited existing loopholes in the electoral system to gain positions of power within the HKSAR.
The central government has acted decisively to amend and improve Hong Kong's electoral system and implemented the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong," keeping the power to administer the region firmly in the hands of those who love the country and love Hong Kong.
The LegCo election features broad representation, political inclusiveness, balanced participation and fair competition.
There are 153 candidates vying for the LegCo's 90 seats. With many new faces, the candidates are more diverse in their ages, professions and backgrounds than ever before. Among them are grassroots representatives, such as bus drivers and registered electricians.
People with different political views have also been nominated. This shows that the improved electoral system is not designed to create ideological uniformity; it is designed to unite everyone under the principle of loving the country and loving Hong Kong, thus building the greatest consensus in society.