Hong Kong’s Sham Elections Expose Beijing’s Tightening Grip

By Human Rights Watch

Click to expand Image A banner promoting the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong, December 3, 2025. © 2025 Chan Long Hei/AP Photo Hong Kong will hold elections for its Legislative Council on December 7, without a single pro-democracy candidate. The Chinese government’s attempts to present the legislature, known as the LegCo, as legitimate hardly fool anyone. Many Hongkongers quietly boycotted the previous election in 2021, resulting in record-low turnout. Five years into its sweeping crackdown, Beijing has seized full control of the LegCo. It revised laws to ensure…

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