Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Hong Kong barristers cast doubt on legality of Carrie Lam’s election move

Hong Kong barristers cast doubt on legality of Carrie Lam’s election move

Bar Association has serious concerns over decision to delay Legislative Council elections for a year in face of growing Covid-19 crisis.



Hong Kong’s Bar Association has expressed “grave concern” over the government’s move to postpone the Legislative Council elections
for a year, casting “serious doubts” on the legal and evidential basis for the decision.

The professional body of barristers also criticised the government for asking mainland China’s top legislative body to rule on resolving any legal issues stemming from the postponement, saying the matters were within the autonomy of Hong Kong.

“The association considers that there are serious doubts about the legal and evidential basis of the government’s decision,” it said in a statement on Sunday evening.

Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, set off a political storm on Friday by invoking emergency powers to postpone the September election, citing the risk of further escalating the Covid-19 crisis.




Recognising the problem this would create because of the four-year term limit in Legco term under the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, Lam asked Beijing to step in.

But by making that request, the Bar Association said the Hong Kong government was “effectively inviting the central government to override the relevant provisions of the Basic Law and Hong Kong legislation to circumvent possible legal challenges”.

It added: “This is contrary to the principles of legality and legal certainty and degrades the rule of law in Hong Kong.”

The association said it was concerned the government had not consulted society at large, or the relevant experts, on the appropriate balance between protecting public health, and protecting the constitutional right of the city’s residents to take part in elections.

There was also little evidence the government had considered alternative measures to alleviate the possible health risks, it added, and accused authorities of failing to satisfactorily explain why the election had to be postponed for a year, instead of just weeks or months.

While there were countries that postponed their elections because of the outbreak, it said, there were also countries with worse outbreaks that held elections in recent months.

Many countries that have postponed their elections have done so for much shorter periods, it added.

The government has not made use of existing provisions in the Legislative Council Ordinance to postpone the elections at times of danger to public health, it said.

International human rights experts have repeatedly warned governments not to use the Covid-19 outbreak as a pretext to suppress human rights, it added.

Lam has said the decision to postpone was made only for the sake of public health, and there no political considerations were involved.

She said her administration decided against using the Legislative Council Ordinance to postpone the elections because it would only allow the vote to be delayed for 14 days.

In his Sunday blog, Lam’s deputy, Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said the decision to postpone was a “very difficult” one to make, and there was “absolutely no political considerations”.

Lam’s decision triggered outrage among opposition politicians, who had hoped to win an unprecedented majority in the 70-seat legislature, buoyed by their trouncing of pro-establishment rivals in last year’s district council elections.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×