Should 18-year-olds contest elections? Activist Joshua Wong begins court battle to lower minimum age for Legco candidates
Student’s senior counsel Anson Wong asks government to prove what extra qualities person can gain between age 18 and current limit of 21
A legal crusade by student activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung to lower the minimum age for contenders in the legislative poll commenced in court on Tuesday, as his lawyers called for the government to explain the discrepancy between becoming a voter and candidate.
The minimum age to cast a vote in the city’s quadrennial Legislative Council elections is 18, while the threshold for those vying for a seat is 21 – three years more, the High Court heard.
Wong, who argued that the minimum age for candidates should be lowered to 18, asked the court via his lawyers for permission to hear his case. The court will hand down its ruling within the coming few weeks.
This comes months ahead of the Legco elections in September, in which Wong, 18, earlier expressed an interest to run when he filed the case in October last year.
But outside court on Tuesday, Wong conceded: “I believe the chance of me signing up for the elections before [the deadline in] July is slim.”