https://www.scmp.com/rss/326492/feed Hongkongers voted on March 11 to choose six new lawmakers. The contests include seats in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon West and New Territories East, as well as one to represent the Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape sector. The seats became available after six lawmakers were barred for improper oath-taking when they were sworn into office in 2016. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Brian Wong Brian Wong A former assistant to the chairwoman of Hong Kong’s largest pro-establishment party has been jailed for eight months for bribing voters to back its candidate in a Legislative Council by-election three years ago. Wong Wai-ha’s application for bail pending an appeal was also rejected during Wednesday’s sentencing at West Kowloon Court, with the presiding magistrate describing the evidence against the 54-year-old defendant as “irrefutable”. Wong, who at the time of the offence was an assistant of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3134869/former-aide-starry-lee-chairwoman-hong-kongs-largest-pro?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3134869/former-aide-starry-lee-chairwoman-hong-kongs-largest-pro?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 May 2021 05:20:46 +0000 A former assistant to the chairwoman of Hong Kong’s largest pro-establishment party has been found guilty of bribing people to vote for its candidate in a Legislative Council by-election three years ago. A West Kowloon Court magistrate ruled on Thursday that defendant Wong Wai-ha had offered “lucky bags” to residents of a public housing estate in Sham Shui Po in an attempt to induce them to vote for candidate Vincent Cheng Wing-shun, who was representing the Democratic Alliance for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3133368/former-aide-starry-lee-head-hong-kongs-largest-pro?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3133368/former-aide-starry-lee-head-hong-kongs-largest-pro?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 May 2021 10:29:06 +0000 Disqualified opposition lawmaker Lau Siu-lai won what she called a “bitter victory” in Hong Kong court on Thursday after a judge overturned her election ban, effectively unseating her pro-establishment rival Chan Hoi-yan from the Legislative Council. It was the third time in a year the court had overturned an election ban imposed by the government’s returning officers on pan-democratic candidates because of their political stance. Mr Justice Anderson Chow Ka-ming on Thursday concluded there was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3085473/ousted-lawmaker-lau-siu-lais-election-ban-overturned-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3085473/ousted-lawmaker-lau-siu-lais-election-ban-overturned-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2020 09:32:24 +0000 Disqualified lawmaker Lau Siu-lai was denied the opportunity to respond to allegations of not genuinely upholding Hong Kong’s mini-constitution before she was barred from trying to win back her seat in the Legislative Council, a judge has observed. Mr Justice Anderson Chow Ka-ming made the remark on Thursday while hearing an election petition from Lau, who has asked the High Court to determine whether pro-establishment lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan had been duly elected to the office of Kowloon West... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3083388/disqualified-hong-kong-lawmaker-lau-siu-lai-was-denied?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3083388/disqualified-hong-kong-lawmaker-lau-siu-lai-was-denied?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2020 14:53:51 +0000 With trust in the Hong Kong government at a very low level, every move by officials will be subject to closer scrutiny. The proposed changes to the polling arrangements in the Legislative Council elections in September are a case in point. Given they affect the integrity of the city elections, it is in the public interest to thoroughly examine both pros and cons before deciding on the way forward. Under the proposed guidelines issued by the Electoral Affairs Commission, voters who are disabled,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3074756/polls-must-be-fair-open-and-smooth-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3074756/polls-must-be-fair-open-and-smooth-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2020 17:12:18 +0000 So thousands of Hong Kong residents and I are to be deprived of a Legislative Council representative for many months. This decision was made by a quango consisting of unelected people (“‘No polls’ before Hong Kong general election for seats vacated by ousted lawmakers”, January 21). Why? In the first place, the situation was created by, let me be kind, unwise decisions made by officials, which then led to court actions that have deprived us of duly elected representatives. Now, similarly... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3047510/who-will-speak-thousands-hong-kong-now-deprived-legco?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3047510/who-will-speak-thousands-hong-kong-now-deprived-legco?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Jan 2020 23:40:11 +0000 A political party has removed support for Hong Kong self-determination from its manifesto after two of its members were barred from running in elections because of the pro-democracy group’s constitutional stance. Demosisto said it would change its policy to “promoting Hong Kong’s democratic and progressive values” in a statement that stopped short of describing the decision as a political compromise. The move, which was passed by its members on Wednesday and unveiled on Saturday, came after... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3045744/hong-kong-party-demosisto-drops-support-self-determination?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3045744/hong-kong-party-demosisto-drops-support-self-determination?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Jan 2020 11:11:35 +0000 Four residents of a Sham Shui Po public housing estate were charged with corruption on Thursday after being accused of a “lucky bag” bribery scheme involving a pro-Beijing candidate in last year’s Legislative Council by-elections. Deng Yimei, 42, and Wong Wai-ha, 52, faced one count of conspiracy to offer an advantage to others at an election for allegedly offering the “lucky bags” to co-defendants, Chan Wai-kuen and Li Mau, both 50. In return for the bags, the defendants were meant to vote for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3032431/four-sham-shui-po-residents-charged-lucky-bag-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3032431/four-sham-shui-po-residents-charged-lucky-bag-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Oct 2019 16:15:00 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Two volunteers at a Hong Kong local residents’ association have been charged for offering neighbours “lucky bags” to vote for a particular candidate at last year’s Legislative Council by-elections, according to the city’s corruption watchdog. Deng Yimei, 42, and Wong Wai-ha, 52, both housewives and volunteers at Friends of Hoi Lai Society – a residents’ group in Hoi Lai Estate in Sham Shui Po, in the Kowloon West geographical constituency – jointly face one count of conspiracy to engage in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3032025/hong-kong-corruption-watchdog-charges-residents-group?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3032025/hong-kong-corruption-watchdog-charges-residents-group?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Oct 2019 10:02:56 +0000 Nominations for the district council elections have begun amid escalating political tensions. With the vote on November 24 not too far away, this may well be the first time Hongkongers go to the polls in times of raging social unrest. The government, while going ahead with the vote, has also sensibly explored contingency plans, such as reserving the following Sunday for election day as backup. But it takes more than well-thought-out arrangements to maintain the integrity of the city’s elections.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3031894/elections-should-go-ahead-planned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3031894/elections-should-go-ahead-planned?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Oct 2019 13:53:57 +0000 At this point in 2019, it is generally assumed and accepted that Hong Kong’s pro-establishment camp will suffer a devastating blow in the district council elections come November. Instead, pro-establishment lawmakers are looking ahead to the Legislative Council election next year, and holding out the hope that a year will be long enough for people to forgive, or at least forget. More pertinently, they are hoping they can count on the pan-democrats to screw up again. This is not entirely wishful... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3027145/hong-kongs-unrest-vote-no-confidence-opposition-pan-democrats-must?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3027145/hong-kongs-unrest-vote-no-confidence-opposition-pan-democrats-must?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Sep 2019 22:15:12 +0000 A Hong Kong court on Friday overturned the ban on opposition candidate Ventus Lau Wing-hong from contesting a by-election last year, and also declared that the winner was not duly elected. Mr Justice Anderson Chow Ka-ming allowed a petition by the localist candidate from the Community Network Union, who challenged his disqualification from the contest for the Legislative Council’s New Territories East seat. The judge decided that NeoDemocrats lawmaker Gary Fan Kwok-wai, who beat five other... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3027194/hong-kong-court-overturns-ventus-laus-election-ban-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3027194/hong-kong-court-overturns-ventus-laus-election-ban-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Sep 2019 12:34:46 +0000 The government bid to block pro-independence figures from standing for elected office has suffered a setback after the ban on Agnes Chow Ting in a Legislative Council by-election last year was overturned by the High Court. Although it appears to be more of a procedural flaw on the part of the returning officer rather than a lack of legal basis, it shows that any move to reject a candidacy must follow due process. Barring the possibility of a further appeal, the blunder also means the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3025931/election-bans-must-be-legally-justified?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3025931/election-bans-must-be-legally-justified?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Sep 2019 13:52:25 +0000 What was on display last Sunday was absolutely extraordinary. To the occasional strains of Do You Hear the People Sing, the protest took on meaning beyond anything so mundane as calling for the extradition bill to be dropped or for Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to resign. The law of unintended consequences was writ large over us. We now shine! Hong Kong exceptionalism is here to stay unless Beijing remains sadly fearful of a level playing field, the rule of law and compassion for... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3015203/millions-hongkongers-have-shown-who-they-are-and-just-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3015203/millions-hongkongers-have-shown-who-they-are-and-just-time?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jun 2019 05:00:05 +0000 The Registration and Electoral Office has recently been conducting sample checks on the registered addresses for geographical constituencies in the 2018 Final Register of Electors. Any recipient is required to confirm the person’s “only or principal residence” by returning an official reply slip. This appears to be a bureaucratic and essentially ineffective method of verifying the register, as it is only a sampling. It is good that government wants to tighten up the system, because there seems... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2180721/voting-hong-kong-elections-proof-address-should-be-mandatory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2180721/voting-hong-kong-elections-proof-address-should-be-mandatory?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jan 2019 08:19:25 +0000 After his embarrassing defeat in the Kowloon West by-election, Labour Party stalwart Lee Cheuk-yan called on pan-democrats and localists to fight together in future polls. But barely had he finished his appeal that the two sides started trading insults. So much for cooperation! On the yellow-ribbon online channel Singjai, Andrew To Kwan-hang, the former chairman of the League of Social Democrats, cast doubt on the political credentials of actor-turned-localist Chapman To Man-chat. “To Man-chat... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2176162/fear-and-loathing-pan-dems-court-localists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2176162/fear-and-loathing-pan-dems-court-localists?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Dec 2018 09:45:17 +0000 The sight of two honourable men with essentially similar views fighting tooth and nail against each other in a Legislative Council by-election could mean only one thing. The pan-democrats had failed to learn the lessons of their last set of humiliating election results and the outcome would be the same: a shocking defeat. Thus, the two heavyweights, Lee Cheuk-yan and Frederick Fung Kin-kee, succeeded in knocking each other out and a political neophyte, Chan Hoi-yan, won the bout. I am not... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2175752/what-hong-kong-pan-democrats-must-say-even-get?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2175752/what-hong-kong-pan-democrats-must-say-even-get?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Dec 2018 05:03:56 +0000 Pro-democracy candidate Lee Cheuk-yan lost the Kowloon West legislative by-election and the opposition failed to regain the veto power in the Legislative Council (Legco). His main rival, the pro-establishment Chan Hoi-yan, got 106,457 votes, beating Lee’s 93,047 votes by more than 13,000. The second runner-up was spoiler candidate Frederick Fung Kin-kee, with 12,509 votes. Some critics suggest Lee never stood a chance and would have lost even if pro-democrat Fung had not joined the race.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2175653/lee-cheuk-yans-election-defeat-wake-call-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2175653/lee-cheuk-yans-election-defeat-wake-call-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Nov 2018 22:30:45 +0000 Hong Kong’s newest lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan ran into a hiccup on her first day in office when trying to pose for a photo with her family outside an ongoing meeting on Wednesday. The incident happened after Chan was sworn in as a member of the Legislative Council in the morning. After meeting media outside the Legco chamber on the first floor of the complex, Chan’s assistant led the new lawmaker’s family – mother, father and husband – along for a photo. The pro-establishment lawmaker and her family... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2175410/chan-hoi-yan-sworn-new-hong-kong-lawmaker-and-then-manages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2175410/chan-hoi-yan-sworn-new-hong-kong-lawmaker-and-then-manages?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Nov 2018 08:52:25 +0000 Defeated election candidate Lee Cheuk-yan called on Hong Kong’s pan-democrats and localists to work together in future polls after a loss that revealed shrinking support for the opposition camp. The Labour Party stalwart and long-time legislator, 61, also said he would run in no more elections. He represented the pro-democracy camp in Sunday’s Kowloon West by-election for a seat in the Legislative Council. He lost to the pro-establishment camp’s Chan Hoi-yan, a former political assistant, by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2175300/lee-cheuk-yan-calls-hong-kongs-pan-democrats-and-localists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2175300/lee-cheuk-yan-calls-hong-kongs-pan-democrats-and-localists?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Nov 2018 00:31:07 +0000 Authorities have been urged to take action against a free newspaper over its front page coverage of the Legislative Council by-election on Sunday, as academics raised concerns that it was tantamount to an advertisement for the key pro-government camp’s candidate. The news report in question was published by the free pro-Beijing daily Ta Kung Pao on Sunday, when five candidate vied for one of the six Legislative Council seats vacated by pro-democracy lawmakers, who were disqualified for not... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2175295/pro-beijing-newspaper-accused-running-illegal-election-ad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2175295/pro-beijing-newspaper-accused-running-illegal-election-ad?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Nov 2018 13:02:26 +0000 This past weekend has been good for Beijing. Elections held in Hong Kong and Taiwan have produced results that must be pleasing to the central government. Pro-establishment greenhorn Chan Hoi-yan easily defeated two veteran pan-democratic rivals in the by-election for the Kowloon West seat in the legislature. Though an independent, she enjoys the full backing of the powerful Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. A former political assistant in the Food and Health... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2175262/pragmatism-real-winner-hong-kong-taiwan-elections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2175262/pragmatism-real-winner-hong-kong-taiwan-elections?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Nov 2018 10:12:24 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader on Tuesday said the pro-establishment camp’s victory in Sunday’s Legislative Council by-election would have no effect on her governance or on her administration’s handling of controversial legislation. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s pro-establishment allies cemented their domination of the city’s legislature after former political aide Chan Hoi-yan secured the remaining seat in Kowloon West constituency. Speaking before meeting the Executive Council, Lam brushed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2175164/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-says-legco-election-result-wont?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2175164/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-says-legco-election-result-wont?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Nov 2018 05:26:59 +0000 Consecutive defeats in by-elections for Hong Kong’s legislature on Sunday and in March have left the city’s pro-democracy politicians searching for answers and facing calls to prioritise livelihood issues over political ideals. Pan-democrats have expressed alarm after veteran campaigner and former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan lost to pro-establishment candidate Chan Hoi-yan in the Kowloon West constituency. The margin of defeat was even wider than in March in an area which has traditionally been an... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2175101/dump-your-ideology-and-improve-lives-hong-kongs-democrats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2175101/dump-your-ideology-and-improve-lives-hong-kongs-democrats?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Nov 2018 23:00:15 +0000 Thirteen opposition politicians bowed low in a public apology to their supporters on Monday, reflecting their predicament and their soul-searching after a decisive loss to the pro-establishment camp in Sunday’s by-election for one of two vacant seats in Hong Kong’s legislature. Political newcomer Chan Hoi-yan, backed by the establishment, captured 106,457 votes, or 49.5 per cent of the total in the Kowloon West geographical constituency, which has traditionally been a stronghold of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2175107/soul-searching-and-public-apology-hong-kong-opposition-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2175107/soul-searching-and-public-apology-hong-kong-opposition-after?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Nov 2018 15:30:15 +0000 The defeat of veteran unionist Lee Cheuk-yan by a novice in the Kowloon West by-election has prompted much soul-searching among pan-democrats and the community at large. For the second time, the camp has failed to win back seats in the Legislative Council from those disqualified by the government in the oath-taking saga. It would seem that adhering to confrontation and extremism no longer appeals to voters. A change in positioning and strategy is called for. Lee’s failure apparently had nothing... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2175087/pan-democrats-need-rethink-after-poll-loss?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2175087/pan-democrats-need-rethink-after-poll-loss?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Nov 2018 13:39:56 +0000 A failure to attract public housing tenants and localists led to Lee Cheuk-yan’s loss in Hong Kong’s key legislative by-election on Sunday, voting data suggests. Lee, the 61-year-old pro-democracy stalwart, lost to pro-establishment rival Chan Hoi-yan, a former journalist and political assistant, ending the opposition camp’s hopes of regaining veto power in the Legislative Council. A total of 216,522 people, or 44.4 per cent of those registered, voted in the Kowloon West constituency. Chan took... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174984/failure-woo-middle-class-voters-and-localists-cost-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174984/failure-woo-middle-class-voters-and-localists-cost-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Nov 2018 06:15:30 +0000 Hong Kong’s newest legislator-elect said on Monday she had no plans to join any party, despite support from pro-Beijingers. Pro-establishment politician Chan Hoi-yan’s remarks came after she took the remaining seat in the Kowloon West constituency in Sunday’s by-election. Chan got 106,457 votes. Her main rival, Labour Party stalwart Lee Cheuk-yan, got 93,047, while Frederick Fung Kin-kee, a former ally of the pan-democrats, got 12,509. She was supported by pro-Beijing heavyweights such as Basic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174948/chan-hoi-yan-says-she-has-no-plans-join-political-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174948/chan-hoi-yan-says-she-has-no-plans-join-political-party?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Nov 2018 04:00:15 +0000 The Hong Kong opposition camp’s hopes of regaining veto power in the legislature were dashed on Monday, as pro-establishment candidate Chan Hoi-yan took the remaining seat in the Kowloon West constituency by a sizeable margin in Sunday’s by-election. Chan took 106,457 votes – 13,410 more than her main rival, Labour Party stalwart Lee Cheuk-yan, who ran at the behest of ousted lawmaker Lau Siu-lai. Hong Kong election winner has ‘no plans to join pro-Beijing party – so far’ Critics said Lee’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174922/hong-kong-election-results-kowloon-west-too-close-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174922/hong-kong-election-results-kowloon-west-too-close-call?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Nov 2018 15:15:15 +0000 The pro-democracy candidate in the tight by-election in Kowloon West has accused his rival of “employing dirty tricks” in the battle for a seat in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. Labour Party stalwart Lee Cheuk-yan made the claim on Sunday after pro-government volunteers were spotted taking elderly voters in Sham Shui Po to a nearby polling station to cast their ballots. But, pro-establishment candidate Chan Hoi-yan distanced herself from the issue, and said the service would have been offered... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174907/pro-establishment-supporters-accused-dirty-tricks-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174907/pro-establishment-supporters-accused-dirty-tricks-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Nov 2018 11:22:35 +0000 Voter turnout on a gloomy, rain-soaked Sunday was expected to make all the difference as Hong Kong held a key legislative by-election marked by candidates making frantic, last-minute appeals for supporters to show up at polling booths. Only about 200,000 residents – or 40 per cent of registered voters – had cast their ballots in the by-election for a Kowloon West seat in the Legislative Council, as two major contenders blamed the bad weather for the lack in enthusiasm. Opposition stalwart Lee... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174854/polls-open-hong-kong-election-both-sides-political-divide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174854/polls-open-hong-kong-election-both-sides-political-divide?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Nov 2018 23:30:30 +0000 It is easy to forget that a Legislative Council by-election is being held on Sunday. Given the relatively calm political atmosphere and limited media coverage of the race, voters in Kowloon West might be tempted to stay home. With only half a million people casting ballots in the geographical constituency, it is easy for the wider public to view the contest as largely irrelevant. That would be a mistake. The poll is the second one triggered by the disqualification of six pro-democracy lawmakers.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2174853/election-voters-must-rise-above-political-apathy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2174853/election-voters-must-rise-above-political-apathy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Nov 2018 14:46:20 +0000 The two camps on either side of Hong Kong’s political divide have doubled their efforts for Sunday’s by-election compared to the last polls in March, say campaign members making their final heave to appeal to half a million voters in Kowloon West. Political observers believe voter turnout will determine who wins this neck-and-neck battle. After the Legislative Council election in 2016, a total of six pro-democracy lawmakers were ousted for improper oath-taking. By-elections in March this year... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174843/rival-camps-step-efforts-final-straight-sundays-west-kowloon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174843/rival-camps-step-efforts-final-straight-sundays-west-kowloon?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Nov 2018 12:24:17 +0000 Candidates from across Hong Kong’s political divide have ramped up their campaigning ahead of Sunday’s by-election showdown, making final appeals for support from half a million voters in Kowloon West. Labour Party stalwart Lee Cheuk-yan, who is being endorsed by the pan-democratic camp, urged voters to make their voices heard, while Chan Hoi-yan of the pro-establishment camp posted a video appealing to voters. After the Legislative Council election in 2016, a total of six pro-democracy... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174771/candidates-make-final-bid-votes-kowloon-west-election-goes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174771/candidates-make-final-bid-votes-kowloon-west-election-goes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Nov 2018 13:25:20 +0000 As 490,000 voters in Hong Kong cast their ballots on Sunday in the legislature’s by-election, the pro-democracy and pro-Beijing blocs face a neck-and-neck battle that puts the two camps’ abilities to mobilise voters to the test. Hong Kong’s politicians have been debating issues ranging from the government’s controversial decision to prevent British journalist Victor Mallet from entering the city, to a US congressional report recommending a review of trade policy on Hong Kong, yet analysts... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174562/voter-fatigue-threatens-dampen-turnout-once-again-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2174562/voter-fatigue-threatens-dampen-turnout-once-again-west?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Nov 2018 00:30:15 +0000 Pan-democrats hoping to reclaim a key seat in Hong Kong’s legislature are in for a rough ride in the coming by-election amid split votes and the challenge of appealing to a younger crowd after the disqualification of an initial candidate, analysts have said. The Kowloon West poll on November 25 will see two veteran pan-democrats running against a former journalist endorsed by the pro-establishment camp, with another two lesser-known hopefuls vying for a spot. Ousted lawmaker urges unity as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2170929/rough-ride-hong-kong-pan-dems-west-kowloon-election-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2170929/rough-ride-hong-kong-pan-dems-west-kowloon-election-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Oct 2018 01:00:15 +0000 The summer of 2016 began on a bright note for Hongkonger Edward Leung Tin-kei. Then 25, he was hopeful of a breakthrough in the Legislative Council elections after making a huge impression on voters in a by-election five months earlier. But dark clouds soon gathered over his candidacy as he found himself having to recant his position on independence for Hong Kong. Facing a sea of cameras, the poster boy for Hong Kong independence told the press: “If I continue to take the moral high ground, I... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2170935/can-hong-kongs-activists-self-determination-get-second?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2170935/can-hong-kongs-activists-self-determination-get-second?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Oct 2018 00:03:10 +0000 Hong Kong’s Department of Justice disclosed on Monday that it had given legal advice to an electoral official who eventually decided to disqualify a pro-democracy activist from running in the coming by-election. Without referring to the candidate, Lau Siu-lai, by name, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah confirmed that the department had “collectively” provided a legal opinion to the returning officer for Kowloon West constituency, but dodged the question of whether she was personally... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2170775/hong-kong-justice-minister-confirms-department-advised?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2170775/hong-kong-justice-minister-confirms-department-advised?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Oct 2018 01:56:05 +0000 Given all the pain Hong Kong has gone through in the name of fighting for our constitutionally promised right to vote for all members of the Legislative Council and the chief executive, it would be safe to say that the accepted presumption is that elections are good. But at times like this, we need to ask whether elections are indeed, categorically, good. Are there instances where we are better off without them? What do I mean by “at times like this”? Well, just take a look at what elections... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2170360/hong-kong-elections-have-become-case-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2170360/hong-kong-elections-have-become-case-study?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Oct 2018 05:00:15 +0000 You have to feel sorry for Lee Cheuk-yan. What wouldn’t the 61-year-old do to get back into the Legislative Council? The veteran unionist and former lawmaker scuffled with security guards and had to be forcibly removed, along with Labour Party comrade Lau Siu-lai, at a government briefing for next month’s by-election. Even for street protester extraordinaire “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung, 62, the body-slamming days with the police are over. Lee usually prefers to shout slogans on stage rather than... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2169871/hong-kong-voters-face-dilemma-candidate-bans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2169871/hong-kong-voters-face-dilemma-candidate-bans?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Oct 2018 11:43:02 +0000 Former television anchor turned election hopeful Chan Hoi-yan on Tuesday insisted the Hong Kong government’s denial of a journalist’s visa had nothing to do with press freedom, and said the media should make it clear there was no room for discussion of independence. Despite coming under fire for similar comments made after the Victor Mallet saga erupted earlier this month, Chan, who has been endorsed by the pro-establishment bloc to contest a by-election in Kowloon West next month, was adamant... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2169787/mallet-case-has-nothing-do-press-freedom-hong-kong-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2169787/mallet-case-has-nothing-do-press-freedom-hong-kong-election?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Oct 2018 06:00:15 +0000 A Hong Kong opposition candidate for the legislature and two of his aides were forcibly ejected on Monday from a briefing on next month’s Kowloon West by-election. Security guards carried away Lee Cheuk-yan of the Labour Party, along with Lau Siu-lai and Mak Tak-ching, after the trio shouted slogans and unfurled a banner condemning the government. They were protesting Lau’s disqualification from the November 25 poll. They were at an Electoral Affairs Commission briefing at the Kowloon Bay... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2169723/election-candidate-lee-cheuk-yan-ejected-election-briefing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2169723/election-candidate-lee-cheuk-yan-ejected-election-briefing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Oct 2018 13:16:10 +0000 The recent disqualification of ousted opposition lawmaker Lau Siu-lai from running for a seat in Hong Kong’s legislature did not necessarily imply she was permanently banned from joining elections, a former pro-Beijing heavyweight said on Sunday. Rather, Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, former member of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), China’s top legislative body, said it would depend on whether Lau could change her stance on Hong Kong sovereignty. Lau was one of six lawmakers... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2169562/election-ban-ousted-hong-kong-lawmaker-lau-siu-lai-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2169562/election-ban-ousted-hong-kong-lawmaker-lau-siu-lai-not?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Oct 2018 16:15:30 +0000 Labour Party veteran Lee Cheuk-yan was given a last-minute green light on Thursday to represent the pro-democracy camp in the Legislative Council by-election on November 25. In a notice from returning officer Franco Kwok Wai-fun for the Kowloon West geographical constituency on Thursday evening, Lee was informed that his nomination as a candidate in the by-election was validated. The validation came just two working days ahead of a candidate briefing on Monday. The former lawmaker filed his... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2169223/labour-party-veteran-lee-cheuk-yan-given-green-light-run?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2169223/labour-party-veteran-lee-cheuk-yan-given-green-light-run?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Oct 2018 23:03:37 +0000 From outlawing a pro-independence party under the Societies Ordinance to ousting lawmakers not taking their oaths of office properly to uphold the Basic Law, the Hong Kong government is increasingly determined to prevent anyone from crossing the red line of sovereignty and national security laid down by President Xi Jinping. While the disqualification of Lau Siu-lai’s candidacy for the Legislative Council by-election is not unexpected, it raises valid questions and may well be challenged in the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2169200/disqualification-candidates-must-be-able-stand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2169200/disqualification-candidates-must-be-able-stand?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Oct 2018 12:27:05 +0000 The head of Hong Kong’s representative body of barristers has called for judges or senior lawyers, rather than lower-ranking bureaucrats, to be given the authority to vet election candidates. On Monday, Bar Association chairman Philip Dykes ramped up criticism of the way in which an electoral official banned an opposition candidate from contesting a by-election next month for a Legislative Council seat, without giving her a chance to argue against her disqualification. Speaking in a personal... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2168568/ruthless-poll-ban-be-challenged-court-ousted-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2168568/ruthless-poll-ban-be-challenged-court-ousted-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Oct 2018 04:45:45 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader said on Saturday there was “no room for inclusion” in the city for anyone who advocated for self-determination or independence, and those that did could never be its lawmakers. Reinforcing her stance that there could be no compromise on the subject, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor dropped her latest political bombshell just hours after the government banned ousted opposition politician Lau Siu-lai from running for a seat in the Legislative Council. Pointing to her... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2168411/conditions-attached-hong-kong-leader-says-there-no-room-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2168411/conditions-attached-hong-kong-leader-says-there-no-room-city?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Oct 2018 05:31:19 +0000 A fresh political storm erupted on Friday after the government banned the ousted opposition lawmaker Lau Siu-lai from running for a seat in the legislature on the grounds that she once advocated self-determination for Hong Kong. Citing her remarks made two years ago, the returning officer appointed by the Electoral Affairs Commission argued that Lau had not genuinely changed her stance even though she had ditched the self-determination calls over the past months in preparation for the Kowloon... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2168359/ousted-pro-democracy-hong-kong-lawmaker-lau-siu-lai-barred?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2168359/ousted-pro-democracy-hong-kong-lawmaker-lau-siu-lai-barred?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Oct 2018 11:13:23 +0000 Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp has launched a backup plan for the coming Legislative Council by-election, after reports suggested its prime nominee Lau Siu-lai would have her application rejected. Veteran labour rights activist Lee Cheuk-yan showed up at the Kowloon City District Office to submit about 200 nominations at 11am on Friday. The move came as the pro-Beijing Hong Kong newspaper Sing Tao Daily reported on the same day that Lau could have her application turned down. Without naming its... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2168264/hong-kongs-pro-democracy-camp-enacts-election-backup-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2168264/hong-kongs-pro-democracy-camp-enacts-election-backup-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Oct 2018 06:00:00 +0000 A Labour Party veteran was on Thursday night preparing to enter next month’s legislative by-election, as the candidacy of the pro-democracy bloc’s pick hung in the balance and the nomination deadline loomed. Former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan, who planned to hand in his papers on Friday, would serve as the “plan B” candidate should his party colleague Lau Siu-lai be barred from the race. Lau, one of six lawmakers removed from the Legislative Council in 2016 and 2017 for improperly taking their oaths,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2168182/lee-cheuk-yan-enter-hong-kong-legislative-council-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2168182/lee-cheuk-yan-enter-hong-kong-legislative-council-election?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Oct 2018 13:49:41 +0000