Court to hear claim of election misconduct

The High Court will be asked to determine whether the results of a district council seat, marred by accusations of election violence and misconduct, should be declared void, paving the way for a by-election.

Civic Party member Mandy Tam Heung-man said she would file an election petition in the High Court tomorrow, regarding the loss of her Wong Tai Sin District Council seat to independent candidate Choi Luk-sing in November's polls.

The filing of the petition will initiate a hearing, after which the judge will determine whether Mr Choi was duly elected or not.

Ms Tam said yesterday the most important thing was to send out a message that Hong Kong would not accept a culture of poll violence.

Ms Tam's chief complaint would revolve around alleged 'material irregularity of the election' due to the presence of a large crowd during the final moments of polling on election day within the non-canvassing zone.

A Civic Party video recording shows the crowd surrounding Ms Tam and fellow party member Alan Leong Kah-kit against the wall at the Lung Sing constituency polling station, hurling abuse at them, while using a black coat to cover their faces. A fist was pushed through the coat in the direction of the two lawmakers.

The crowd dispersed after 45 minutes, when the deadline for casting votes elapsed.