Hong Kong protests: can opposition win big at Legco elections or will new national security law ruin plans?
- Opposition bloc holds on to ambitious target of ‘35-plus’ seats, but braces itself for new obstacles
- Splintered camp continuing discussions on ways to trim its long list of candidates
The anti-government protests that gripped Hong Kong last year shattered long-standing assumptions about the direction political change would take. But as the first weeks of unrest in June turned into months, one realisation grew undeniably clear – the fortunes of opposition lawmakers had taken an astonishing turn.
An advantage denied to the opposition ever since the city’s handover to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 was finally in reach. Or so it seemed. Beijing’s surprise introduction late last month of a national security law for Hong Kong that would outlaw acts of subversion, secession, terrorism or conspiring with foreign influences has forced the camp to rethink its strategy with less than three months to go before voters head to the polls. Unpredictability once again reigns.
If we cannot stay united and demonstrate our will to fight back, many protesters will be disappointed
While admitting that the law threatened their election hopes, opposition leaders have vowed to press on, eager to demonstrate Hongkongers’ resistance to Beijing’s tightening grip on the city.
“If we cannot stay united and demonstrate our will to fight back, many protesters will be disappointed,” Democratic Party leader Wu Chi-wai said.