Two Hong Kong opposition lawmakers announce exit from Legislative Council as result of ‘stay-or-go’ poll looms

Legislators Raymond Chan and Eddie Chu have submitted their decisions to Legco president regarding their intention to quit

The rest of the pan-democratic bloc is awaiting results of a citywide poll, due on Tuesday, to see whether they should follow suit

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Two pan-democrats have announced they will not serve out the Legislative Council’s extended term. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 7:30pm, 28 Sep 2020Updated: 11:22pm, 28 Sep 2020

Two localist lawmakers in Hong Kong have formally decided not to serve out the Legislative Council’s current term – extended by one year by Beijing – a day ahead of the announcement of the results of a citywide poll to determine whether most of the body’s opposition members will stay or go.

Opposition legislators Raymond Chan Chi-chuen, of People Power, and Eddie Chu Hoi-dick, of Council Front, informed Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen of their decisions in writing on Monday, with Chu stating that he would not serve in “an appointed legislature that breached the Basic Law” – the city’s mini-constitution, which states that each term shall be four years.

Opposition lawmaker Eddie Chu, who has announced he is leaving the Legco, attends a council meeting last year. Photo: Winson Wong

“This is not a council elected by the people,” Chu told the press after rendering his decision. “What Hong Kong people deserve is an earlier resumption of an election, not more endorsement by the Chinese Communist Party.”

The issue of whether to remain for the duration of the extended term has put the city’s pan-democrats in the hot seat ever since China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, approved the local government’s decision on July 31 to delay Legco elections for not less than one year, citing the resurgence of Covid-19 infections.

The pair had criticised the extension for lacking a public mandate, and called for a collective boycott. Chan, on Monday, said that if the opposition poll results showed that the majority of respondents wanted the remaining pan-democrats to follow their lead in quitting Legco, then they hoped to discuss with their allies the possibilities for regrouping outside the council.

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