First Chan Ho-tin, then Yeung Ke-cheong and Nakade Hitsujiko... Now Edward Leung
Independence advocate Edward Leung Tin-kei’s bid to run in the Legislative Council elections has been rejected.Independence advocate Edward Leung Tin-kei’s candidancy in New Territories East in the September’s Legislative Council elections has been disqualified.
Hong Kong Indigenous spokesperson Feeling Yiu confirmed that the nomination was invalidated, even though Leung had pledged support for the Basic Law and agreed to comply with the election rules by signing a form acknowledging that Hong Kong is unquestionably a part of mainland China.
Leung had previously lodged a judicial review against the Electoral Affairs Commission on July 25, claiming the returning officers had no right to make the decision on whether his nomination was valid. But the High Court on July 27 refused to immediately hear his legal challenge to the controversial new electoral rule.
The disqualification of Leung’s candidancy came after netizens launched an online campaign to publicise returning officers’ personal details.
After Alan Lo Ying-ki, the returning officer for New Territories West, disqualified Hong Kong National Party convenor Chan Ho-tin’s nomination on Saturday, his picture, phone number and office address were spread on social media.
More than 450 people shared the post, which had 1,300 “likes” as of this afternoon. Some called on other users to look for Lo’s home address and further information on his family.
A government spokesperson regarded this online campaign as “unacceptable”. He said the Electoral Affairs Commission and its officers had followed the city’s mini-constitution and relevant laws to ensure September’s polls were open, fair and honest.
Barrister Albert Luk Wai-hung said the people who made the posts might have committed criminal intimidation or accessing a computer with criminal intent, as their remarks had contained elements of intimidation which could threaten the victim.
Chan said he had “no opinion” about the post. “That information is made public and they did not try to hack into others’ computers,” he said. “I have always called on our supporters and Hongkongers to be rational.”
He also vowed to launch a series of actions to subvert the elections which he said would largely undermine the legitimacy of the polls.
Chan was the first localist candidate to have his nomination disqualified. Other rejected candidates include Democratic Progressive Party’s Yeung Ke-cheong and independence advocate Nakade Hitsujiko.
Leung’s ally, Sixtus “Baggio” Leung Chung-hang of Youngspiration, who joined the election list as a “back-up” in case Leung got disqualified, was accepted.