Hong Kong’s second-largest pro-democracy party, the Civic Party, announced its dissolution on Saturday, with nearly all of its members approving the decision, sanctioned by China’s security law and electoral reform.
Speaking to journalists, Civic Party chairman Alan Leong noted that there were no candidacies for the structure’s executive positions and that 30 of the 31 members voted for its dissolution, with one person abstaining.
Founded in 2006, the party was composed mostly of liberal professionals, lawyers and academics, and established itself as the second largest pro-democracy party after the Democratic Party.
In a written statement, also released today, Alan Leong thanked “all like-minded people” who had joined the “long walk” for democracy.
“Today, the Civic Party bids farewell to Hong Kong […]. We hope that the people of Hong Kong experience this moment with a hopeful and not too heavy heart. Live the truth and believe in tomorrow,” he underlined.
Several party members were accused of undermining the national security law imposed by Beijing after the 2019 protests for political freedoms, promised to Hong Kong since 1997, when it ceased to be British territory.
It is about the alleged participation in unofficial primaries, designed to choose the best candidates for the parliamentary elections, which allowed the pro-democracy camp to win several seats.
To the authorities, these primaries were only designed to overthrow the government.
Since 2020, when China’s national security law, which also applies to Macau, came into effect, several activists and politicians have been charged with the crimes of secession, subversion or conspiracy.
Other pro-democracy political organizations in Hong Kong, such as the Civil Human Rights Front and the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, had also announced their dissolution.
The Macanese leader wants to change the electoral laws
On Friday, the head of government of Macau, on the other side of the bay, ruled that it is necessary to change the electoral laws, namely to tighten the criteria for candidates, two years after the exclusion of candidates associated with the pro-democracy camp.
Ho Iat Seng said “a review” of electoral laws is “obviously necessary” ahead of the election of the Chinese territory’s next president, in 2024, and the new Legislative Assembly (LA), in 2025.
On July 9, 2021, the committee that administers the elections to the AL excluded five lists and 21 candidates, 15 of them pro-democracy, for “failing to enforce the Basic Law of the Macau SAR [Região Administrativa Especial de Macau]and not “being loyal to the Macao SAR”.
The decision removed the pro-democracy camp, which had four seats in the AL, leaving parliament with just two votes most critical of the government, including Portugal’s José Pereira Coutinho.
Source: DN
