Lack of cash: Demosisto leader drops plan to run in Hong Kong Legislative Council elections
Occupy protester Oscar Lai decides against seeking a Legco seat from Kowloon East, leaving the party with just one candidate on Hong Kong Island
A student leader from the Occupy movement has given up plans to run for a Legislative Council seat in September due to inadequate donations.
Demosisto, a new political party formed by four Occupy student leaders, announced its decision to drop vice-chairman Oscar Lai Man-lok and field only one candidate in the election.
“As a new party without the support of corporates, we hoped to raise enough money through crowd funding to contest two geographical constituencies,” a party statement read.
The group raised HK$1.4 million in the past three months. However, the total dropped to less than HK1 million after deducting rent and other basic expenses.
“We therefore feel that we should focus our resources on the Hong Kong Island constituency to better spread the idea of self-determination and Anyone But [Chief Executive] CY [Leung],” it added in the statement.
Nathan Law Kwun-chung, another Occupy student leader and chairman of Demosisto, is eyeing Hong Kong Island. Lai, a former member of the suspended student group Scholarism, originally planned to run in Kowloon East.
