Hong Kong High Court judge suggests new district council election rules prejudice chances of candidates with no links to municipal committees
- Judge hearing High Court challenge against need for municipal bodies’ backing for candidates suggests process may prejudice chances for some
- Counsel for plaintiff argues need for endorsements from three government-appointed committees against city’s mini-constitution and Bill of Rights
The High Court is expected on Friday to hand down a judgment after serial litigant Kwok Cheuk-kin’s judicial review application, which could cast doubt on the legitimacy of the December 10 poll.
Counsel for Kwok on Thursday argued the need for prospective candidates to get nominations from at least three members of each of three government-appointed committees encroached on the right to stand for election protected by the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights.
The court heard 75.4 per cent of candidates in the 171 geographical constituencies were selected from three municipal bodies packed with Beijing loyalists.
Mr Justice Russell Coleman said it was “surprising” the district representatives eventually scooped up most of the nominations from their peers, even though they were already bound to secure 40 per cent of a total of 470 seats across the city’s 18 district councils through the district committee category.
