Beijing revamped Hong Kong's electoral system in 2021 to ensure that only "patriots" could hold office, and the December 7 poll will select a second batch of lawmakers under those rules.
Fewer than a quarter of the seats are directly elected.
Authorities charged a 68-year-old retiree with the national security crime of "seditious publication", saying he had repeatedly published posts online that provoked hatred towards the government and incited others not to vote.
Offenders face up to seven years in prison.
Three others, two men and a woman aged between 55 and 61, were charged with reposting content inciting others not to vote, which carries a maximum penalty of three years in jail and a fine of HK$200,000 ($25,700).
Authorities issued arrest warrants for two more people outside the city who were alleged to be the authors of the posts.
Hong Kong made it a crime in 2021 to tell others not to vote or to spoil their ballots, even though voting is not mandatory.
Its top court will hear a legal challenge in May on whether the criminal offence infringes on constitutional rights such as the freedom of expression, according to Hong Kong media.
The Beijing-imposed overhaul of Hong Kong's electoral setup came after months of huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
The first legislative race held under the new system in December 2021, which featured no pro-democracy candidates, drew a record low turnout of 30 percent.
Authorities have blanketed much of the city in promotional material this time, with Hong Kong leader John Lee urging the public last month to fulfil their "civic responsibility".
Trains will extend services on election day, while some businesses have promised to give employees a half-day off if they head to the polls.
Trump floats death penalty for 'seditious' Democrats
Washington (AFP) Nov 20, 2025 -
US President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that Democratic lawmakers who urged the military to refuse illegal orders could be executed, calling them traitors and accusing them of "seditious behavior."
Democrats immediately slammed Trump's "absolutely vile" threats against the six senators and representatives, who made the comments in a video posted on X on Tuesday.
"This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???" Trump said on Truth Social.
He then added in a later post: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!"
The 79-year-old also reposted a message from a user urging him to "hang them" and saying that the first US president, George Washington, would have done the same.
The Democratic lawmakers all have backgrounds in the military or intelligence services and included Senator Mark Kelly, a former member of the Navy and NASA astronaut, and Senator Elissa Slotkin, who served with the CIA in Iraq.
"You can refuse illegal orders," they said in the video, accusing Trump of "pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens."
They did not specify which orders they were referring to, but Trump has ordered the National Guard into multiple US cities, in many cases against the wishes of local officials, in a bid to bring allegedly rampant unrest under control.
Abroad, Trump has ordered strikes on a series of alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that have left more than 80 people dead and which experts say are illegal.
- 'Lighting a match' -
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later walked back Trump's suggestion, saying that the president did not want to see members of Congress executed.
She still lashed out at the lawmakers, saying: "Why aren't you talking about what these members of Congress are doing to encourage and incite violence?"
The Democratic Party reacted furiously to Trump's remarks.
"Trump just called for the death of Democratic elected officials. Absolutely vile," the party posted on its official X account.
The lawmakers in the video vowed not to be deterred by Trump's threats, saying they were "veterans and national security professionals who love this country" and had sworn an oath to defend the US constitution.
"That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. No threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation," they said.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of fanning the flames of violence among his supporters.
"He is lighting a match in a country soaked with political gasoline," Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor.
Trump previously evoked the death penalty in 2023 in relation to his former top US military officer Mark Milley, who became an outspoken critic of the president.
After Milley told journalist Bob Woodward that he had secretly called his Chinese counterpart amid tensions after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in January 2021, Trump said "in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!"
Trump's death penalty comments came as he faces perhaps the most political pressure since his return to the White House in January.
In recent weeks his grip on the Republican party has been shaken by the scandal over disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, and by off-year elections in New York, New Jersey and Virginia in which Democrats scored major wins.
Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com
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