Hong Kong’s leader on Friday cited the dangers of physical fitness related to the coronavirus pandemic by adjourning parliamentary elections for a year, a move most likely to generate complaints from those involved about the decline in Beijing’s freedoms in the country.
Hong Kong Executive Director Carrie Lam invoked emergency powers to postpone elections scheduled for September 6 for the Legislative Council up to a year later. A member of the Hong Kong government said the resolution had the support of Beijing.
“The current wave of the epidemic is likely to last weeks or longer. There may also be a winter surge,” a government spokesman said in a statement.
“The [Legislative Council] plays a substantive purpose and has an annual economic cycle. In addition, the preparation and registration of the electorate will take months before an election can be held. It is moderate and in the public interest to postpone the election for one year. »
The Hong Kong government said the resolution followed countries that had delayed elections and filed a resolution in the UK to postpone local council elections and the elections of metropolitan mayors.
Since February, Reuters has reported that at least 68 countries and territories around the world have postponed national or regional elections due to COVID-19. He cited the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
However, at least countries and territories are advancing in national or subnational elections.
Hong Kong’s resolve to delay elections is likely to be to boost complaints from the foreign community, as multinational lawmakers previously condemned the disqualification of 12 Hong Kong pro-democracy postulants to run for the city legislature.
The foreign network also expressed outrage at Beijing’s adoption of a national security law, convicted of violating Hong Kong’s autonomy under one country and two systems of government and for enforcing harsh criminal sentences for crimes of secession, subversion and terrorist activities.
The United States, in reaction to the passage of the National Security Act, has described that it will no longer treat Hong Kong as the beijing self-government, ending the territory’s special remedy and applying sanctions to Beijing officials that are considered a violation of the law. the autonomy of the territory.
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