ADPL To Accept Applications For Legco Polls

The Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood on Thursday said it will start accepting applications from members to run for December’s Legislative Council elections.

The association said those who want to participate in the race will not need nominations from other members to represent the party in the polls. However, they will take steps to ensure nominees will represent the grassroots.

The group said an executive committee will start handling applications from Friday to October 22.

Speaking after a two-hour special meeting, its acting vice chairman Howard Lee said it was not an easy decision to make.

“[It is] because in this political environment, it is very dangerous to once again [take part] in any political actions, including elections,” he said.

Acting chairman Yeung Yuk pointed out that some in the party were concerned that joining the elections “might not be useful” under the current political atmosphere, while others were worried that the party could no longer provide a voice for the grassroots if they were not part of Legco.

The race will be the first for the legislature under a new framework approved by Beijing.

The ADPL's decision comes days after the Democratic Party said none of its members planned to join the polls. It had earlier said that any member who's interested in joining the race would need to secure 40 nominations from the party.