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Article: An owl swoops: Hong Kong. (limited legislative elections)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- September 7, 1991
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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AMONG Hong Kong's many distinctions is one that neither its British colonial masters nor the territory's own people can be proud of Communist states apart, Hong Kong is the only place in Asia that has never had a real election for even a single scat in its legislature. Even feudal Bhutan, up in the Himalayas, lets heads of households vote.
On September 15th, though, Hong Kong intends to enter the modern world, in a modest way. Ballots will be cast in a real, anyone-can-vote election for 18 of the 60 seats in the territory's Legislative Council, or Legco. It will be a historic occasion. But will it be a significant one?
In many ways it will not. Of the ...