Chu Hoi-dick Challenges Village Election Ban

Land Justice League legislator Chu Hoi-dick on Friday filed a legal challenge against a returning officer's decision to bar him from running in a rural election in Yuen Long last December.

In an election petition, Chu said according to rural election law, returning officers do not have the power to enquire or decide whether a candidate is committed to upholding the Basic Law and pledging allegiance to the Hong Kong SAR.

Chu added that he had already declared his intention to do so, and the returning officer involved simply had no clear, objective and compelling evidence not to trust him.

The legislator had earlier faced a series of questions from the returning officer over his stance on self-determination for Hong Kong and whether he supported independence, which he insisted he did not.

Following the disqualification, the government issued a statement backing the move, insisting there was no question of any political censorship at play.

A number of pro-democracy activists had been prevented from running in recent Legco polls over their perceived stance on Hong Kong independence, but this was the first time that a rural election hopeful was rejected for this reason.