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All members of the democratic opposition in Hong Kong’s parliament announced on Wednesday that they would resign after the government expelled four pro-democracy MPs from parliament accused of endangering national security. The four MPs were expelled after the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China passed a resolution allowing the Hong Kong government to remove MPs who support Hong Kong’s independence directly from office, bypassing the system. judicial. from China.
The resolution provides for the expulsion from parliament for anyone who refuses to recognize China’s sovereignty over Hong Kong or seeks help from “foreign countries to interfere in the affairs of the region”, as well as “other acts that endanger security. national”. The four deputies expelled are Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki, Dennis Kwok and Kenneth Leung.
The four MPs and eight other members of the opposition, including activist Joshua Wong, had already been prevented from running in the elections originally scheduled for 6 September, but were postponed due to the worsening situation. coronavirus epidemic.
The authorities explained that the exclusions from the elections were decided because the 12 candidates had not been loyal to the Hong Kong constitution and the Chinese government, citing among other things the promotion of Hong Kong’s independence and opposition to the law. on national security that gave China greater powers in Hong Kong’s internal affairs.
The Legislative Council, Hong Kong’s unicameral parliament, is made up of 70 members: 35 are elected, 30 are appointed based on the vote of small interest groups (banks, business associations and merchants) and 5 are assigned to district councilors. .
In late June, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s highest legislative body, passed the controversial national security law that gave China more control over Hong Kong. The measure had obtained the final approval of the Committee with a unanimous vote and on the eve of the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China.
The new law provides for the establishment of a national security management commission that reports directly to the Beijing government. The law establishes that the local police can detain anyone accused of carrying out “terrorist activities” and acts of “sedition, subversion and secession”, phrases that many have interpreted as an attempt to suppress the pro-democratic protests that have been carried out for a year in Hong Kong.
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