Hong Kong legislative council elections slated for September has been postponed due to a recent surge in coronavirus cases.
Chief executive Carrie Lam, a pro-Beijing appointee, announced that the elections for the financial hub’s legislature would be delayed for a year using emergency anti-virus powers.
The postponement came a day after a dozen prominent democracy activists were barred from standing for election because their political views were deemed unacceptable.
The city’s democracy camp has come under sustained attack since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law last month, a move China’s leaders described as a “sword” hanging over the head of its critics.
According to Hong Kong law, an election can be postponed if the city’s chief executive believes it is likely to be “obstructed, disrupted, undermined or seriously affected by riot or open violence or any danger to public health and safety.”
