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Hong Kong barristers have ‘serious doubts’ over legality of postponing Legislative Council elections
- Bar Association says Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s decision to delay for a year ‘degrades the rule of law’
- City’s leader has said she made decision in face of growing Covid-19 crisis and not for any political reasons
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03:39
Hong Kong Legislative Council elections postponed by a year
Hong Kong Legislative Council elections postponed by a year
Hong Kong’s Bar Association has expressed “grave concern” over the government’s move to postpone the Legislative Council elections for a year, casting “serious doubts” on the legal and evidential basis for the decision.
The professional body of barristers also criticised the government for asking mainland China’s top legislative body to rule on resolving any legal issues stemming from the postponement, saying the matters were within the autonomy of Hong Kong.
“The association considers that there are serious doubts about the legal and evidential basis of the government’s decision,” it said in a statement on Sunday evening.
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Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, set off a political storm on Friday by invoking emergency powers to postpone the September election, citing the risk of further escalating the Covid-19 crisis.
03:10
Hong Kong battles third wave of coronavirus infections
Hong Kong battles third wave of coronavirus infections
Recognising the problem this would create because of the four-year term limit in Legco term under the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, Lam asked Beijing to step in.
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