China has said that the primary election held by Hong Kong’s democratic opposition over the weekend may be illegal under the new national security law imposed on the city. Labeled as a “serious provocation”, the warning by Beijing’s top representative office in Hong Kong has exacerbated concerns about a crackdown on opposition parties and leaders.
The polls drew nearly 600,000 residents, despite warnings from government officials that the exercise could breach Beijing’s sweeping new law. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that if the election’s purpose was “resisting every policy initiative of the Hong Kong SAR government, then it may fall into the category of subverting the state power”, which is an offense under the new legislation. The primary polls were held to choose candidates for the upcoming September elections for the Legislative Council, which is the city’s governing body.
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement has been seriously challenged by the new security law, which aims to curb vaguely defined acts of subversion, secession, and terrorism. Mass arrests at demonstrations and protests are rampant, with Beijing moving swiftly to mute any kind of dissent. Activists claim that the only way now to resist Beijing’s clampdown on the city is by capturing a majority in the legislature in September. It would give pro-democracy parties the authority to stall unfavorable budgets and harmful legislation, in order to oppose China’s coercive tactics.
Beijing has reacted strongly, saying that such a vote can be considered as “serious interference and obstruction” of the central and Hong Kong governments, which is outlawed by the new law. “With the support of external forces, opposition groups and leaders have deliberately devised plans to hold this so-called ‘primary election’, which is a serious provocation to the current electoral system and caused serious damage to the fairness and justice of the Legislative Council elections,” the Liaison Office said. It also singled out Benny Tai, a prominent activist who helped organize the primary, saying: “The goal of the Benny Tai gang and the opposition camp is to seize power to govern Hong Kong, with a vain attempt to launch a Hong Kong version of a color revolution.”
Preliminary poll results showed strong performances by young, protest-linked candidates, rather than traditional pro-democracy contenders, which could further irk Beijing. Experts have warned that following China’s declaration of the primary as illegal, it could even move to disqualify all candidates selected through the primary process for the September election.
Image Source: CNN
Hong Kong Opposition’s Primary Poll Could Be Illegal, Warns Beijing
Defying warnings, the primary election held over the weekend drew nearly 600,000 citizens.
July 14, 2020
