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2018 New Territories East by-election

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New Territories East by-election, 2018
← 2016 11 March 2018 (2018-03-11)
 
Candidate Tang Ka-piu
(Presumptive) 		TBD
Party FTU/DAB TBD
Alliance Pro-Beijing Pro-democracy
Incumbent Legislative Councillor

Sixtus Leung (disqualified)
Youngspiration



The 2018 New Territories East by-election is scheduled on 11 March 2018 after the incumbent Youngspiration Legislative Councillor Sixtus Leung of New Territories East disqualified from the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo) over the oath-taking controversy resulted in the disqualifications of the six pro-democracy legislators. It will be held alongside the Hong Kong Island, Kowloon West and Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape by-elections.[1]

Background

Main article: Hong Kong Legislative Council oath-taking controversy
Sixtus Leung, the incumbent legislator disqualified by the court over the oath-taking controversy.

In the 2016 Legislative Council election, the New Territories East returned nine members to the Legislative Council (LegCo). Sixtus "Baggio" Leung, convenor of the pro-independence Youngspiration who stood in the New Territories East at the last moment as a backup plan after Edward Leung of another pro-independence group Hong Kong Indigenous, who received a better-than-expected result in the 2016 by-election, was controversially disqualified by the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) over his pro-independence stance. Sixtus Leung won a seat with 37,997 votes, 6.6 per cent of the total vote share.

On 12 October 2016 the inaugural meeting of the LegCo, Leung and his party colleague Yau Wai-ching used the oath-taking ceremony as a platform to protest. They claimed that "as a member of the Legislative Council, I shall pay earnest efforts in keeping guard over the interests of the Hong Kong nation," displayed a "Hong Kong is not China" banner, and mispronounced "People’s Republic of China" as "people’s re-fucking of Chee-na".[2] Their oath were invalidated by the clerk and the controversy caused a huge backlash among the Hong Kong public.[3] Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying took an unprecedented move by launching a judicial review seeking the disqualification of the duo.

On 7 November, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) controversially interpreted Article 104 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong to "clarify" the requirements that the legislators need to swear allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China when they take office, stating that "who intentionally reads out words which do not accord with the wording of the oath prescribed by law, or takes the oath in a manner which is not sincere or not solemn" should be barred from taking their public office and cannot retake the oath. As a consequence, the High Court disqualified Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-ching on 15 November.[4]

The two seats left vacant as the duo launched appeal bid. On 25 August 2017, the Court of Final Appeal rejected a final bid by Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-ching.[5] On 14 September, the government announced the date of the by-election on 11 March, same day as the Kowloon West vacated after the disqualification of Yau Wai-ching and the Hong Kong Island and Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape by-elections.[1] Nevertheless, the by-elections of the another seat in Kowloon West and New Territories East after the disqualification of Lau Siu-lai and Leung Kwok-hung will not be held as the duo are seeking for appeal.

Candidates

Tang Ka-piu, Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) member, former Legislative Council member for Labour functional constituency and 2016 Legislative Council candidate for New Territories East, has joined the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) to represent the pro-Beijing camp under the DAB/FTU banner in the election.[6][7]

Gary Fan Kwok-wai, member of Neo Democrats and former Legislative Councillor from 2012 until he lost his 2016 re-election, expressed his interest in running in the by-election.

Tommy Cheung Sau-yin, former spokesman of Scholarism, president of the Student Union of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Standing Committee member of the Hong Kong Federation of Students also expressed his interest in running in the by-election.[8]

Kwok Wing-kin, chairman of the Labour Party and former Tai Po District Councillor also reportedly signed up for the pro-democracy primary.[9] Kwok received the endorsement form the Democratic Party and the Demosistō.[10][11]

James Chan Kwok-keung, a Sha Tin District Councillor whose candidacy was disqualified in the 2016 Legislative Council election also announced his candidacy but did not join the pro-democracy primary.[12]

Ventus Lau Wing-hong, spokesman of the localist Community Network Union and convenor of the Shatin Community Network, also announced his candidacy, claiming that he has gotten the endorsement from Sixtus Leung.[13]

Other individuals who expressed interest but did not stand included Andrew Cheng Kar-foo, former Democratic Party member and Legislative Council member and Au chun-wah, a Democrat Tai Po District Councillor.[8]

Pro-democracy primary

Three candidates of the pro-democracy primary, Kwok Wing-kin, Tommy Cheung and Gary Fan.

The Power for Democracy which is responsible for co-ordinating the pro-democracy candidates in elections has proposed a primary between Gary Fan, Tommy Cheung and Kwok Wing-kin from December 2017 to January 2018.[14]

The primary will be conducted in three parts: telephone polls, a generic ballot vote on 14 January 2018 and voting by parties and civil groups that participated in the primary. The first two parts will count for 45 per cent each, and the last part will count for 10 per cent in the final result.[15]

On 8 January 2018, Tommy Cheung was reportedly assaulted in Tai Wai by two men that left him hospitalised. He said that he was punched, kicked and attacked with an umbrella.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "By-election to fill four seats vacated by disqualified Hong Kong lawmakers set for March 11". South China Morning Post. 14 September 2017.
  2. ^ "Declaration of war as Hong Kong's newly elected lawmakers plunge opening session into chaos". South China Morning Post. 12 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Hong Kong localist pair set to make U-turn over their Legislative Council oaths". South China Morning Post. 17 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Hong Kong court rules localist lawmakers must vacate Legco seats". South China Morning Post. 15 November 2016.
  5. ^ "Ousted Hong Kong lawmakers Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching lose final bid to reinstate seats". South China Morning Post. 25 August 2017.
  6. ^ "工聯會鄧家彪「入籍」民建聯　擬統合建制票源戰新東補選". HK01. 2017-07-26.
  7. ^ "補選前瞻：新東泛民本土大混戰　有利鄧家彪". 東方日報. 2017-09-13.
  8. ^ a b "鄭家富棄戰新東補選　非建制三人競爭　范國威或佔優". 蘋果日報. 2017-11-07.
  9. ^ "【民主派初選】游蕙禎拒做死亡之吻 向前乳鴿仔摸底食檸檬？". 蘋果日報. 2017-12-03.
  10. ^ "【立會補選】泛民初選 民主黨支持郭永健：為人真誠老實". 蘋果日報. 2017-12-08.
  11. ^ "【立會補選】泛民初選論壇前夕　香港眾志表態撐姚松炎郭永健". HK01. 2017-12-09.
  12. ^ "【立會補選】撐港獨區議員另行「去馬」宣佈參加新東補選". 蘋果日報. 2017-12-05.
  13. ^ "Localist throws hat into ring for Hong Kong by-election – but has press conference venue cancelled on him at last minute". South China Morning Post. 30 December 2017.
  14. ^ "【立會補選】首設Plan B機制確保入閘　泛民12月辦初選汰弱留強". HK01. 2017-10-31.
  15. ^ "Pro-democracy camp primary for legislative by-elections to be conducted via polls, general ballot vote". Hong Kong Free Press. 5 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Pro-democracy election hopeful Tommy Cheung says he was punched, kicked and attacked with umbrella". Hong Kong Free Press. 9 January 2018.
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