Hong Kong Legco poll to ‘go ahead as planned’ with fire recovery on track
Insider says decision to proceed with election as planned on December 7 is based on legal considerations, as postponing risks creating constitutional crisis
“A lot of legislative work also needs to be done. The consensus is that there is little point in holding it in abeyance,” the source said.
Another source told the Post the assessment was that the post-fire recovery work could be done alongside the election preparations without compromising efforts or resources on either front.
Hong Kong has been observing a three-day mourning period for the victims of the Tai Po blaze, which ends on Monday. The fire, which ravaged seven of the eight buildings at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex on Wednesday last week, claimed at least 151 lives as of Monday.
Before the tragedy, the city had been ramping up momentum for the Legco election, with the government organising forums for the first time and the business sector providing incentives such as half-day paid leave to encourage people to go out and vote.