Hong Kong will postpone legislative elections due to be held in September because of the coronavirus outbreak, the city’s leader said Friday.
Infections from the virus have quickly risen in recent weeks, after falling to zero daily transmissions in June, and health officials have warned of a potential crisis if it is not brought under control.
But pro-democracy figures had greeted news of a possible delay to the key polls with dismay, accusing the government of wanting to avoid a potential loss following China’s imposition of a new national security law on the city, banning secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.
Opposition parties had aimed to ride a wave of discontent with the government to a historic victory in the semi-democratic legislature, where just under half the seats are controlled by so-called functional constituencies, which represent business and society groups and are typically pro government.
A recent primary election designed to narrow down the number of pro-democracy opposition candidates attracted more than 600,000 votes, far more than the 170,000 or so organizers were hoping for.
