More than 50 join pan-dem primary race

More than 50 people have joined the pro-democracy camp's primaries for September's Legislative Council elections, with the latest being the chairwoman of the Wan Chai district council.

Clarisse Yeung Suet-ying announced yesterday she will be joining the primaries for the Hong Kong Island constituency.

Yeung claimed to have no political affiliation, although she is serving her second term as a pro-democracy district councillor.

Nine pro-democracy candidates are running for six seats in the upcoming Legco elections, where the camp is aiming to win four seats.

Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung and Demosisto's Nathan Law Kwun-chung are also competing in the Hong Kong Island constituency.

Meanwhile, Kwun Tong district councillor Kinda Li Ka-tat announced yesterday he will be joining the primaries for the Kowloon East constituency.

Li hopes to bring his experience as a social worker during the protests into the legislature and "make sure the street movement and the legislature are heading toward the same direction."

This would make him the sixth candidate vying in the Kowloon East primaries, which consists of five seats. The camp is aiming for three seats in this constituency.

Other candidates include Democratic Party lawmaker Wu Chi-wai, Civic Party lawmaker Jeremy Tam Man-ho, People Power's Tam Tak-chi and Demosisto's Joshua Wong Chi-fung.

Sixtus Leung Chung-hang, who won in the New Territories East constituency in the 2016 elections but was stripped of his seat after the oath-taking controversy, announced he will not participate in the election.

There are now 53 candidates in the pro-democracy primaries, which will be held on July 11 and 12.

New Territories East has the most candidates, with 12 competing for seven places, while only six candidates are gunning for five places in Kowloon East.

The primaries, organized by legal scholar Benny Tai Yiu-ting and former lawmaker Au Nok-hin, will also cover the functional constituencies of health services and the district council "super seats."

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com