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Legislative Council elections 2016
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Hong Kong Indigenous' Edward Leung has only signed the usual form that as a Legco member he would uphold the Basic Law. Photo: Dickson Lee

Pro-independence Hong Kong candidate pleads for more time to explain stance

Legco hopeful Edward Leung cites legal complexities in refusing to meet deadline to state if he will continue pushing his radical agenda

The election hopes of Hong Kong independence advocates hang in the balance as the best known figure in the camp on Saturday asked for more time to respond to government questions on his stance.

Edward Leung Tin-kei of Hong Kong Indigenous made the plea after the Electoral Affairs Commission gave him 24 hours to say whether he was “continuing” to push for independence.

As the deadline fell at 11am, Leung told the media: “I wrote in reply asking for more time due to the legal complexities. As it was a weekend, I could not reach my solicitor and barrister to discuss the requisite legal research.”

The Hong Kong government has been trying to stop pro-independence politicians from taking part in the Legislative Council elections in September. Candidates must sign a new declaration form pledging allegiance to three Basic Law articles that effectively make independence calls unconstitutional.

Leung has not signed this but he did sign the traditional form that Legco members would uphold the Basic Law.

This was not enough to satisfy election officials and on Friday they sent him an email that asked: “Do you admit that, even though you signed the declaration ... you are in fact continuing to advocate and push for Hong Kong independence?”

Another likely candidate, Avery Ng Man-yuen, said he would seek a judicial review on Monday to challenge the government’s new rule. He suspended his electioneering to follow the judicial process.

At issue is whether using a person’s past remarks to determine his or her eligibility to become a Legco candidate is in breach of the constitutional provision on the right to stand in an election.

Defending the government’s move, Legco’s outgoing president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing said it would be impossible for someone who calls for Hong Kong independence – a fundamental challenge to the “one country, two systems” principle – to qualify as a lawmaker.

For Leung, however, the election officials’ scrutiny amounted to political screening, saying that their email referred to news reports in which he had stated his views. “Well, actually I also shared a song in support of the Basic Law on my Facebook,” Leung said. “Why didn’t they use it as proof of my political stance?”

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: HK localist pleads for more time to state view
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