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Legco oath-taking saga
Hong KongPolitics

Hong Kong’s mainland affairs chief accused of ‘one country, two systems’ breach over by-elections

Patrick Nip said he ‘reported and discussed’ the administration’s plans for the polls, to fill seats of disqualified legislators, whilst in Beijing

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Patrick Nip said he ‘reported and discussed’ the administration’s plans for the polls with the central government. Photo:Sam Tsang
Kimmy Chung

The Hong Kong government’s top man on mainland affairs has been accused of violating the conditions of the city’s relationship with Beijing by discussing the local government’s plans for upcoming legislative by-elections whilst in the capital.

At the end of a trip to Beijing, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen said he had met officials from across the central government, including the deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Huang Liuquan and deputy secretary general of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee Li Fei.
He said he had discussed the government’s plans for the upcoming by-elections, to contest the seats previously held by six elected lawmakers booted from the Legislative Council chamber for badly taken oaths.
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“Regarding the work of the constitutional and mainland affairs bureau, including the by-election [arrangements], I have reported and discussed the stance and the plans of the SAR government with the relevant [mainland] ministries,” he said.

Hong Kong survey respondents give ‘one country, two systems’ a fail

No date has been set for the polls, which would usually take place within six months of a seat being vacated. The government has said it will wait for legal proceedings, including possible appeals, over the disqualifications to be concluded before setting a date.

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