HONG KONG—Authorities barred democracy activist Joshua Wong from running in local elections scheduled for next month, a move that risks inflaming an opposition protest movement that has seen momentum in the streets wane in recent weeks.
In a letter dated Tuesday, Mr. Wong was informed that his candidacy in District Council elections had been declared invalid in accordance with the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution. In a separate statement, which didn’t name Mr. Wong, officials said support for Hong Kong self-determination was inconsistent with the law.
In recent years, Hong Kong has increasingly barred candidates from taking part in polls. Authorities often cite concerns that candidates support separatism or don’t support China’s sovereignty over the city through the “one country, two systems” policy.
What Hong Kong Protesters Want
Mr. Wong, who has publicly stated that he doesn’t support Hong Kong’s independence, was the only candidate to be blocked from next month’s election. There are many other pro-democracy campaigners among those contesting the 452 seats up for election.
The disqualifying of candidates, many of them young, has exacerbated fears of shrinking freedoms at the root of recent unrest in the city. Young people on the front lines of monthslong protests have complained that they have been driven to violence in part because their representative voices have been shut out of public office.
Banning Mr. Wong—a student leader of protests in 2014 who has visited Washington to press Congress to support Hong Kong’s democracy movement—runs another risk. Any backlash could derail the Nov. 24 elections, as the government has threatened to call off the vote if there is violence.
In the decision detailing the reasons for invalidating Mr. Wong’s candidacy, electoral officer Laura Aron said she had considered Mr. Wong’s public statements since 2016 and his replies to electoral officer’s questions. She said she found that his stance on independence and self-determination has been consistent and that he and the youth political group he co-founded takes the position that Hong Kong independence is an option.
Mr. Wong, speaking to reporters after the decision, said he had clearly stated that he doesn’t support independence. He added that the officer was listening to the Communist Party’s official People’s Daily newspaper and its accusations about his positions. He urged voters to support Kelvin Lam, a pro-democracy candidate who entered the race in his constituency. He also said the decision would encourage more Hong Kongers to take to the streets.
“The decision to ban me from running for office is clearly politically driven,” he added later. “Everyone would know that the true reason is my identity, Joshua Wong, is the crime in their mind.”
The District Council seats up for election make up almost all of the city’s 18 local councils. Pro-democracy candidates are challenging establishment members for a large number of them, hoping that widespread antigovernment sentiment will deliver big gains.
District councilors act as representatives for their constituencies on matters such as government programs and public facilities. Unlike the legislature, which is due to hold elections next year, district councils don’t make laws or hold any kind of veto power over government legislation.
District councilors have close to 10% of the seats on the 1,200-member election committee that chooses Hong Kong’s leader.
Write to Natasha Khan at natasha.khan@wsj.com
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/hong-kong-bars-pro-democracy-icon-joshua-wong-from-election-11572325375
2019-10-29 09:08:00Z
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