Hong Kong postpones elections by a year, citing coronavirus

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced Friday that the government will postpone highly anticipated legislative elections by one year, citing a worsening coronavirus outbreak in the semi-autonomous Chinese region.

The Hong Kong government is invoking an emergency ordinance in delaying the elections. Lam said the government has the support of the Chinese government in making the decision to hold the elections on Sept. 5, 2021.

"The announcement I have to make today is the most difficult decision I've had to make in the past seven months," Lam said at a news conference.

"We want to ensure fairness and public safety and health, and need to make sure the election is held in an open, fair and impartial manner. This decision is therefore essential," she said.

Opposition setback

The postponement is a setback for the pro-democracy opposition, which was hoping to capitalize on disenchantment with the current pro-Beijing majority to make gains. A group of 22 lawmakers issued a statement ahead of the announcement accusing the government of using the outbreak as an excuse to delay the vote.

"Incumbent pro-democracy legislators, who represent 60 per cent of the public's opinion, collectively oppose the postponement and emphasize the responsibility of the SAR government to make every effort to arrange adequate anti-epidemic measures to hold elections in September as scheduled," the statement said, referring to the territory's official name, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

"Otherwise, it is tantamount to uprooting the foundation of the establishment of the SAR."

Infections rise

Hong Kong, with a population of 7.5 million, has seen a surge in coronavirus infections since the beginning of July. It has recorded 3,273 infections as of Friday, more than double the tally on July 1.

The government has tightened physical distancing restrictions, limiting public gatherings to two people, and banned dining-in at restaurants after 6 p.m. local time.

The lead-up to the elections has been closely watched, after a national security law that took effect in late June stipulated that candidates who violated the law would be barred from running.

The new law was seen as Beijing's attempt to curb dissent after months of pro-democracy and anti-government protests rocked Hong Kong last year over a controversial — but now withdrawn — extradition bill that would allow suspects to be sent to the mainland for trial.

The months-long protests plunged Hong Kong into its largest ever political crisis, with clashes between protesters and police turning violent at times. Over 8,000 people have been arrested in connection to the protests since June 2019.

White House slams China

Dissatisfaction with the Hong Kong government helped the pro-democracy bloc achieve a landslide victory in district council elections last November, a momentum that the opposition was hoping to ride to gain a majority in the legislature.

The White House on Friday condemned the decision to postpone the election.

"This action undermines the democratic processes and freedoms that have underpinned Hong Kong's prosperity," said House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany. "This is only the most recent in a growing list of broken promises by Beijing, which promised autonomy and freedoms to the Hong Kong people until 2047 in the Sino-British joint declaration."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on a radio show in the U.S. on Thursday that the elections in Hong Kong "must proceed on time."

"The people of Hong Kong deserve to have their voice represented by the elected officials that they choose in those elections," he said. "If they destroy that, if they take that down, it will be another marker that will simply prove that the Chinese Communist Party has now made Hong Kong just another Communist-run city."

'Internal affair'

China's foreign ministry insisted on Friday that Hong Kong's legislative elections are an "internal affair."

"It is the responsibility of the Hong Kong SAR government to ensure that the elections for the 7th Legislative Council are held in a safe, orderly, fair and just environment," ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Friday. "We believe that the Hong Kong SAR government will proceed from the current anti-epidemic situation in Hong Kong and handle relevant matters in accordance with the law."

On Thursday, 12 pro-democracy candidates including prominent pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong were disqualified from running for not complying with Hong Kong's mini-constitution or pledging allegiance to the local and national governments.

"Beyond any doubt, this is the most scandalous election ever in Hong Kong history," Wong said at a news conference Friday. "I wish to emphasize that no reasonable man would think that this election ban is not politically driven."

"Beijing has staged multiple acts to prevent the opposition bloc from taking the majority in the Hong Kong legislature," he said.

The postponement drew criticism from the New York-based group Human Rights Watch.

"Postponing the September elections for a year is a cynical move to contain a political emergency, not a public health one. This simply allows Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam to deny Hong Kong people their right to choose their government," said Sophie Richardson, the group's China director.

"Without making any attempt to look at alternative methods of voting, or ensuring all voting rights will be respected, Lam and her backers in Beijing are merely masking repression under the guise of public health," she said.

Separately, mainland state broadcaster CCTV said on Friday that Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law, former British Consulate employee Simon Cheng and four others were wanted under the national security law on suspicion of inciting secession and collusion with foreign forces.

The six are currently overseas, according to CCTV. Law fled Hong Kong for the U.K. in early July and Cheng was granted political asylum in Britain.

Hong Kong police declined to comment.