On Monday, following the results of the poorly-attended election, the foreign ministers of the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand said China's new rules had "eliminated any meaningful political opposition".
"Since the handover, candidates with diverse political views have contested elections in Hong Kong. This election has reversed the trend," said the group, also known as the Five Eyes alliance.
Just 30.2% of Hong Kong's registered 4.2 million voters showed up to the poll on Sunday, the lowest turnout in decades.
Analysts said this reflected voters' awareness of the election's limits. Democracy activists have described it as a sham.
Previous lawmakers who were critical of Beijing were barred from standing, with most in exile or in jail.
Voters this time around could also only vote for 20 spots, less than half of the positions previously available to be elected by the public.
Hong Kong used to belong to Britain, and it was granted certain freedoms which are not available in the mainland, including voting rights, when it was handed back to China in 1997. These freedoms are supposed to last to 2050.
But Beijing's crackdown on political dissent over the past two years has severely restricted those rights. A wide-ranging national security law passed last year has also largely criminalised any anti-China actions.
4 hours ago — Hong Kong's legislature vote on Sunday saw more than 90% of the seats available go to pro-Beijing candidates. Prior to the vote China had made .
3 hours ago — The 2021 Hong Kong Legislative Council election was a general election held on 19 December 2021 for the 7th Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
World powers on Monday condemned Hong's Kong tightly vetted legislature vote, saying rules imposed by Beijing that reduced directly elected seats and controlled who could stand had eroded democracy in the Chinese territory.
Zhao Lijian, China's foreign ministry spokesman, blamed the low turnout on the pandemic and "anti-China elements bent on destroying Hong Kong and the interference of external forces".
Reuters
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