Hongkongers who lobby for end to ‘one-party dictatorship’ run risk of election disqualification, top Beijing delegate warns

The city’s sole member of China’s top legislative body, Tam Yiu-chung, tells the Post that Legco motion debates related to such calls should not be allowed

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Tam Yiu-chung is a former chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 3:30pm, 17 Mar 2018Updated: 2:03pm, 18 Mar 2018

Hongkongers who chant slogans urging an end to “one-party dictatorship” run the risk of being disqualified from future elections, the city’s sole member of China’s top legislative body has warned.

Tam Yiu-chung also said any motion debates related to such calls should not be allowed in the city’s Legislative Council, a day before he was elected as a deputy to the powerful National People’s Congress Standing Committee.

Tam secured 2,941 votes in favour of his election, with nine against it on Sunday.

Last week, the National People’s Congress passed with near unanimous support constitutional amendments that further underlined the undisputed authority of the Communist Party. While the world has focused on the scrapping of the president’s term limit, a line was added to Article 1 of the country’s constitution with a description of the party’s leadership as “the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics”.

The reference to the party’s leading role previously appeared only in the preamble, which most legal scholars have said is not legally binding.