Chinese legislators voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to adopt a decision on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) at the closing of the fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, in a move to fix the loopholes in local governance. 

The decision is another major step taken by the state to improve the HKSAR's legal and political systems since the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR was adopted in June 2020. The decision was passed by an overwhelming majority vote at the fourth session of the 13th NPC, the Xinhua news agency reported.

While deliberating a draft of the decision, the NPC session was of the view that the return of Hong Kong to the motherland put the region once again under the overall governance system of the country, and China's Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR jointly form the constitutional basis of the HKSAR.

The electoral system of the HKSAR, which includes the methods for the selection of the Chief Executive and for the formation of the Legislative Council (LegCo), is an important part of the political structure of the HKSAR, according to the session.

The electoral system should be conducive to safeguarding China's national sovereignty, security, and development interests and help maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, according to the session.

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