Hong Kong, Nov 11 (IANS): The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday said that four members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) have been disqualified by a decision adopted by the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.
The four LegCo members are Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung, the sixth-term LegCo members whose nominations to stand for the seventh-term LegCo election originally scheduled on September 6 were invalidated by the HKSAR, Xinhua reported.
According to the NPC Standing Committee decision, LegCo members shall be disqualified for the office once they are determined by law to have failed to meet the legal requirements of upholding the HKSAR Basic Law and honoring the pledge of allegiance to the HKSAR.
The decision lists circumstances deemed failing to meet these requirements, including advocating or supporting "Hong Kong independence," refusing to recognize the state's sovereignty and its exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, seeking interference in the HKSAR affairs by foreign countries or external forces, or committing other acts endangering national security.
The decision applies to the sixth-term LegCo members whose nominations to stand for the seventh-term LegCo election originally scheduled on Sept. 6 were invalidated by the HKSAR citing the above-mentioned circumstances.
The decision also applies to those running for the LegCo office or serving as its members in the future, in case of the occurrence of the above-mentioned circumstances.
The disqualification of a LegCo member should be announced by the HKSAR government, it added.
The nominations of the four LegCo members to stand for the seventh-term LegCo election were invalidated on July 30 since they were not in compliance with the requirement under the Legislative Council Ordinance.
According to the Legislative Council Ordinance, candidates for LegCo elections are required to sign a declaration in accordance with the statutory nominating procedure, clearly stating that they will uphold the HKSAR Basic Law and honor their pledge of allegiance to the HKSAR.