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President seizes control of deadlocked Hong Kong legislature committee that sparked rare criticism from Beijing
- Andrew Leung appoints ally to run election for chairmanship of House Committee
- Opposition had successfully blocked progress of vote, meaning important laws could not be passed
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The president of Hong Kong’s legislature has seized control of an influential committee as a “last resort” after months of political wrangling left it deadlocked, and under fire from Beijing.
Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen used his power on Friday as president of the Legislative Council to appoint pro-establishment veteran Chan Kin-por to preside over the House Committee chairmanship election, kicking out opposition lawmaker Dennis Kwok, who had dragged out the election for months.
Leung said he moved to solve the impasse with the support of two sets of external legal opinions, but his unprecedented ruling has sparked an outcry from opposition politicians.
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“I must stress that my decision is made to address the exceptional difficulties, and I appeal to members to put aside political differences and elect the House Committee chairman quickly,” he said.
“This is a hard decision, and I think it is incumbent upon me to make sure we, as [the] legislature as a whole, can fulfil our responsibility under the Basic Law.”
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Kwok, a representative of the legal sector, said Leung’s decisions were “illogical” and accused him of abusing his power. “We are here for a civilised and sensible approach,” he said, adding that if a plan was made to work by force, “the public will tell who is twisting the current system”.
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