Mass resignation of Hong Kong opposition lawmakers after Beijing rules on disqualification

China’s top legislative body empowers city authorities to unseat legislators without need to go through courts

After four opposition members removed, their 15 remaining colleagues say they will quit in protest on Thursday

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Pan-democratic lawmakers put on a show of unity on Wednesday following the ejection of four lawmakers. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 11:16pm, 11 Nov 2020Updated: 3:11pm, 12 Nov 2020

Hong Kong’s opposition lawmakers will all resign together to protest against the disqualification of four colleagues after China’s top legislative body empowered the local government to unseat politicians without having to go through the city’s courts.

Under a resolution unanimously endorsed on Wednesday by 161 members of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), Hong Kong lawmakers will lose their Legislative Council seats immediately if they are deemed to have engaged in a range of acts, from endangering national security to dishonouring their pledge of allegiance and refusing to support China’s sovereignty over the city.

The local government quickly followed up the ruling by disqualifying the Civic Party’s Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, Kwok Ka-ki and Dennis Kwok, along with Kenneth Leung of the Professionals Guild, all four of whom were previously barred from running in September’s Legco elections, which were postponed for a year.

Hong Kong’s leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, said she had asked Beijing to step in because the four posed a constitutional anomaly in being allowed to continue serving as lawmakers when they had already been disqualified from running for re-election over their calls for foreign governments to sanction the Hong Kong and central governments.

“[Beijing’s ruling] has made it very clear that the criteria for anyone who has taken an oath and served as a legislative councillor but thereafter they have engaged in activities which are breaching those requirements, is that they should immediately lose their qualification,” she said.

Hong Kong is a society under the rule of law … It’s not only the executive branch which has a say

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong chief executive

Lam said the NPCSC’s decision did not mean she now had additional powers to unseat legislators.

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