Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam inspects a polling station at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong, south China, Sept. 19, 2021. The 2021 Election Committee's subsector ordinary elections in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) started on Sunday morning, the first election after the improvements to Hong Kong's electoral system earlier this year. Photo: Xinhua

The principle of "patriots ruling Hong Kong" does not mean opposition members are not welcome in the Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said the city's Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Tuesday. 

"No one said a patriot cannot run for elections if he or she has a different political stance or is rather critical of the SAR government," Lam said at a news conference. 

Earlier in May, Hong Kong finalized local amendments for its election overhaul after the LegCo completed a review of a number of amendments, which has established the principle of only "patriots ruling Hong Kong."

In Monday's results for the first Chief Executive Election Committee election after the revised electoral system, there was only one opposition member among the nearly 1,500 committee members, prompting related questions at the news conference.

Lam explained that if one is a patriot and works for the good of Hong Kong, one can certainly run for election regardless of their political stance. "As for whether they can meet the requirements, it depends on the decision of the Qualifications Committee. But many of the opposition withdrew from the election, how can they be elected?" she said.

According to Lam, the amendment in the electoral system is not detrimental to the city's democratic atmosphere but suits Hong Kong better. 

"A democratic system depends on the local circumstances, its constitutional arrangement and the development process," Lam said. "We must not forget what we want to bring ultimately with democracy. We want it to benefit the people."

On Monday, Lam said the elections are of great significance in upholding China's sovereignty, security and development interests, and ensuring the steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems."

She said that the amended electoral system will undergo tests on whether it will improve governance, help solve people's problems, help Hong Kong better integrate into national development and boost its economy. 

Regarding the problems that occurred during the vote counting for Election Committee polls, Lam said there were "serious problems" and officials must find out what went wrong to avoid it from happening again.

It took more than 14 hours to count the votes after fewer than 4,400 ballots were cast on Sunday, eight hours longer than planned. 

"We have to find out and resolve the problems, whether they were technical, manpower issues or a lack of training that caused officials to be unfamiliar with the procedures. We must find out," Lam said.

The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR and Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council extended congratulations on the completion of the election on Monday. The authorities stressed the profound meaning of the implementation of the principle of "patriots ruling Hong Kong" in the elections, and looked into new hopes for the future of Hong Kong. 

Global Times