Pro-Beijing bid to delay elections

The government should come up with a contingency plan in case the Legislative Council elections need to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Hong Kong's sole delegate to the National People's Congress standing committee Tam Yiu-chung said yesterday.

"There are some 50 days before the Legco elections in September. No one can guarantee the pandemic will be under control by then," Tam said.

"If Covid-19 persists, I am worried that there will be another outbreak as there will be many people gathering on polling day."

His suggestion was supported by fellow pro-establishment hopeful Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, who handed in her nominations as part of her race for the Kowloon West constituency yesterday.

"The government should start looking into the possibility of postponing the elections, as many people have told me that they are refraining from leaving home because of health worries," said Leung of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong.

The Democratic Alliance for the Progress and Betterment of Hong Kong's Gary Chan Hak-kan, who is seeking reelection in New Territories East, took to social media to call for a delay.

"My team and I have stopped all street booth promotions to avoid drawing crowds and protect the health of my volunteers," Chan said.

"I appeal to the government to consider postponing the elections until the pandemic is under control to safeguard citizens' health and the fairness of the elections."

Meanwhile, pan-democratic camp convener, Tanya Chan Suk-chong, asked the government to announce the election's arrangements as soon as possible.

"A lot of countries or regions have had experience in holding elections during this pandemic. The government can learn from those cases allowing the Legco elections to be held as scheduled," Chan said.

According to electoral laws, the chief executive can opt to postpone elections if she believes they are likely to pose a danger to public health and safety, but it must be held no later than 14 days after the original polling day, which would be September 20, as September 13 is already a backup date. Beyond that, any new election date will have to be approved by Legco.

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com