proceeding to popular vote. The Hong Kong Government's bill for universal suffrage in Chief Executive elections was subsequently rejected. With the NPCSC's amendment of Annexes I and II of the Basic Law in 2021, the NPCSC has retracted the power of the HKSAR to initiate political reform. The Chinese NPCSC now exercises the sole power to amend Annexes I and II of the Basic Law. In lieu of recent efforts by China to hamper the pro-democracy camp, universal suffrage remains unlikely. The evolution of elected offices in Hong Kong returned by popular vote is as follows: Voter registration and nomination Any Hong Kong permanent resident aged 18 or above may register as an elector in the geographical constituency in which they reside, except those mentally incapacitated and those serving in an armed force. Persons serving a sentence of imprisonment used to be barred from registering and voting, but a 2008 judgment by the Court of First Instance of the High Court ruled that a blanket bar was unconstitutional and that the Government had a year to change the offending provisions. The Government did not appeal the judgment, and held consultations with the public on how the law should be changed. A bill was then introduced to the LegCo, providing that no person would be barred from electoral registration or voting because of criminal conviction, even for crimes against the electoral system. It became law and entered into force on 30 October 2009. Hong Kong permanent residents must satisfy all the following requirements to be eligible for registration as electors in a geographical constituency: permanent resident of Hong Kong; aged 18 years or above as at 25 July next following his application for registration (or 25 September in a District Council election year) ordinarily resident in Hong Kong, and the residential address in his application for registration is his only or principal residence in Hong Kong; holds a Hong Kong identity document or has applied for a new identity card; and not disqualified by application of s.31 of the Legislative Council Ordinance (Cap 542). Electors can run for elections if they have reached 21 years of age and have ordinary resided in Hong Kong for the 3 years immediately preceding the nomination. In addition, candidates running for the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council, except 12 specified functional constituencies have to be a Chinese citizen with no right of abode in