Hong Kong elections: opposition torn between boycotting Legislative Council and sticking around to stage fierce fight
- Radical section of bloc urges peers to quit en masse but others within camp advise caution, arguing that it is Beijing’s intention to divide and conquer
- Opposition members accuse electoral officials of arbitrarily disqualifying candidates from Legco race
To stay or not to stay in the legislature? That is the dilemma facing Hong Kong’s opposition lawmakers after suffering a double whammy last week.
They had been counting on a strong showing at the Legislative Council elections scheduled for September 6, only to have Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor postpone the polls for a year, citing the coronavirus pandemic.
The delay compounded their woes from a day earlier when 12 pro-democracy activists – including four incumbent lawmakers – were disqualified from running in the polls.
Beijing’s top legislative body, which is convening a four-day meeting from Saturday, is expected to issue a directive on the legal and constitutional questions surrounding the delay, such as whether Legco’s four-year term can be extended and if the disqualified lawmakers can continue to serve.
Ahead of the session, the pan-democratic camp will meet on Friday to thrash out their stance, even as pressure mounts against them from all sides.
Their opponents, the pro-establishment hardliners, have argued that the four incumbents– Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, Kwok Ka-ki and Dennis Kwok of Civic Party, alongside accountancy lawmaker Kenneth Leung – should be ousted given electoral officials had ruled they lacked the genuine intention to pledge allegiance to Hong Kong. This is an oath required of all lawmakers.
