Ousted Lawmaker Yan Chan 'has No Regrets'

Pro-government lawmaker Yan Chan said she's disappointed with a court decision that unseated her but insisted she has no regrets, while the Legco president said it's up to the government to decide whether to hold a by-election to fill her seat in the extended legislature.

The lawmaker failed in her bid to challenge a High Court ruling that there was a “clear material irregularity” in the Kowloon West Legco by-election held in November 2018 in which she won.

The Court of Final Appeal refused to grant leave for her to challenge the judgement, which said the returning officer did not give pro-democracy candidate Lau Siu-lai a chance to explain her position before disqualifying her.

The judges said they will explain their reasons in writing later.

"I just feel a little bit disappointed," Chan said as she met the media hours after the ruling.

"If you ask me is it unfair, I can only reply that I can't do anything to change the result right now... it's about the procedure before the election."

Lau, meanwhile, welcomed the ruling, saying it was fair to the public.

But she again expressed concern about the rights of Hong Kong people standing for election.

The current term of the legislature is already down a few members heading into its fifth year, with Au Nok-hin and Gary Fan among those disqualified. The Legco term was extended after the government postponed elections slated for this month by a year, citing the coronavirus outbreak.

Responding to Friday's court ruling on Chan, Legco President Andrew Leung said her case was similar to that of Au and Fan, who were ousted after their applications to appeal against court rulings that rendered them unduly elected were rejected.

"We will treat her leaving Legco the same as Gary Fan and the others. Obviously the operation will be affected. We have been for a quite long period without four members already. Now, whether they will call a by-election or not, it will be up to the government to decide," Leung said.

Chan said she doesn't think a by-election should be held at this point because of coronavirus infection risks. She also she will continue to do community work and serve the public, especially in the fight against Covid-19.