| 6th Legislative Council of Hong Kong | |||||
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| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | Legislative Council | ||||
| Jurisdiction | Hong Kong | ||||
| Meeting place | Legislative Council Complex | ||||
| Term | 1 October 2016 – 31 December 2021 | ||||
| Election | 2016 election | ||||
| Government | Leung Administration (2016-2017) Lam Administration (2017-2021) | ||||
| Website | Sixth Legislative Council (2016–2021) | ||||
| Members | 70 members | ||||
| President | Andrew Leung (BPA) | ||||
| Party control | Pro-Beijing camp | ||||
The Sixth Legislative Council of Hong Kong was the sixth meeting of the legislative branch of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Running from 1 October 2016 to 31 December 2021, it was the longest legislative session in Hong Kong history, lasted for five years and three months. The term of the session was originally from 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2020, but was extended by the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) due to the postponement of the 2020 Legislative Council election.[1][2]
The membership of the session was based on the results of the 2016 Legislative Council election, where the pro-Beijing camp retained the majority in the council and its flagship party Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) continued to be the largest party. The anti-establishment camp, including the traditional pan-democrats and newly emerging localists secured the majority in the geographical constituencies and the one-third crucial minority which allowed them veto any government's proposal on constitutional reform. Notable new members include the post-Occupy activists, Demosisto's Nathan Law, 23, being the youngest member to be elected and Youngspiration's Yau Wai-ching, 25, being the youngest woman to be elected. Other new members include Eddie Chu, Lau Siu-lai, Sixtus Leung, Eunice Yung and Junius Ho.
The council never met its full membership of 70 members, as two Youngspiration legislators Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung were disqualified by the court on 15 November 2016 over their oath-taking manner at the inauguration of the council. Four more pro-democracy legislators, Leung Kwok-hung, Nathan Law, Lau Siu-lai and Yiu Chung-yim were disqualified for the same reason on 14 July 2017, which left a total six vacant seats of which five of them were filled in the March and November by-elections, won by Vincent Cheng, Gary Fan, Au Nok-hin, Tony Tse and Chan Hoi-yan. Fan and Au were later unseated on 17 December 2019 as the by-election result was ruled as invalid by the court, followed by Chan's departure for the same reason.[3]
In 2019, the Carrie Lam administration's introduction of Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 sparked an unprecedented clash in the council between the pro-Beijing and pro-democracy legislators, and later turned into a series of historic massive protests. Hundred of protesters stormed the Legislative Council Complex after the annual 1 July march and ransacked and vandalised the interior with anti-government slogans. The continued anti-government protests eventually led to the downfall of the bill on 4 September 2019.[4][5]
On 31 July 2020, Chief Executive Carrie Lam invoked the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to postpone the September general election for a whole year, citing the resurgence of COVID-19 cases and denying any political calculation to thwart opposition momentum and neutralise the pro-democracy movement.[6] The decision was backed by the NPCSC which in November 2021 disqualified four sitting pro-democracy legislators Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki, Dennis Kwok and Kenneth Leung on the grounds of the newly imposed national security law, which triggered the mass resignations of the remaining 15 pro-democracy legislators, leaving the council with a total number of 27 vacancies out of 70 seats.[7]
In March 2021 the NPCSC unveiled the drastic electoral overhauls to the Chief Executive and Legislative Council, bypassing the power of constitutional changes vested in the Legislative Council. After the passage of the amendments to Annex I and II of the Basic Law, the Carrie Lam administration tabled the Improving Electoral System (Consolidated Amendments) Bill 2021 which was passed in the pro-Beijing dominated Legislative Council with 40-to-2 vote on 27 May 2021.[8]
- ^ "Beijing extends Hong Kong's Legislative Council term by 'at least one year' but kicks ball back to Carrie Lam to decide how disqualified lawmakers can continue their duties". South China Morning Post. 2020-08-11.
- ^ "Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (Chapter 1)--Revocation of the Decision to Prorogue the Sixth Term of the Legislative Council" (PDF). The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Gazette. 2020-08-14.
- ^ "Pro-democracy lawmakers Au Nok-hin and Gary Fan lose seats as Hong Kong's top court rejects election petition appeals". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
- ^ "Hong Kong leader withdraws extradition bill, sets up platform to examine protest causes". South China Morning Post. 4 September 2019. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "As it happened: Protesters call bill withdrawal 'band-aid on rotting flesh'". South China Morning Post. 4 September 2019. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- ^ "BREAKING: Hong Kong postpones legislative election citing Covid-19". Hong Kong Free Press. 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Hong Kong's pro-democracy legislators to resign en masse". Aljazeera. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
- ^ "Hong Kong lawmakers pass bill to revamp elections, reducing democratic representation". Hong Kong Free Press. 27 May 2021.