Nominations for Hong Kong’s Legislative Council election to begin
Nominations for Hong Kong’s Legislative Council general election will commence today. The election, slated for September 6, is set to be heavily contested by a pro-democracy opposition camp that seeks to turn the tide in the legislature after last year’s promising showing in the District Council election.
However, the new National Security Law dictated by Beijing poses an impediment to these ambitions, as it requires candidates to pledge to uphold the Basic Law and swear allegiance to the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong. Refusal to sign the declaration form will result in the invalidation of the nominations. The traditionalist pan-democratic bloc has rejected this declaration but is being pressured into acquiescence by activist Joshua Wong’s newcomer resistance bloc, which outperformed the incumbents in last week’s opposition primary.
The activists—who have agreed to sign the declaration for technical reasons—intend to pursue confrontational tactics in the legislature. However, the successful primary was more likely an aftershock of the year-long revolution rather than a mark of continuity. Campaigns have been careful not to associate their candidates with provocative slogans or affiliations. Expect this acquiescence to the declaration to expose candidates to legal repercussions should they demonstrate any separatist inclinations in the legislature, which could render many of the votes invalid.
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