Poll Officer To Decide Joshua Wong's Fate 'off Sick'

The returning officer who was due to decide whether pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong can run in next month's district council poll is on sick leave and needs to be replaced, officials have announced.

Wong says his candidacy is the only one, out of more than a thousand, that hasn't been confirmed, with the draw to allot candidate numbers for the ballot papers taking place on Thursday night.

The Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) said in a statement that Southern District returning officer Dorothy Ma is on sick leave until further notice.

Yau Tsim Mong's district officer, Laura Aron, will take up Ma's role as the returning officer for Southern District.

Joshua Wong applied to run in the South Horizons West constituency three weeks ago.

He was twice asked to explain his stance on Hong Kong independence last week, but said he hasn't heard back from the returning officer.

“I have strongly experienced political censorship. Dorothy Ma, the returning officer, didn’t contact me for more than a week already,” he said earlier on Thursday.

The EAC said the candidate number draw for South Horizons West constituency would be postponed. The New People's Party's Judy Chan and Wong's back-up candidate Kelvin Lam are in the running for this seat.

EAC chairman Barnabas Fung will host the briefing for district council candidates at AsiaWorld-Expo.

The elections are to take place on November 24, with all 452 seats to be contested.