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Legislative Council oath-taking saga

In October 2016, controversy arose in Hong Kong's Legislative Council as localist lawmakers-elect Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang and Yau Wai-ching and others were accused of failing to properly take their oaths of office.

last updated:

9 September, 2024

Councillors attend the first district council meeting in Hong Kong’s Yau Tsim Mong district after the 2023 election. Photo: Eugene Lee

Hong Kong politics

Editorial | New Hong Kong district councils must put people and their livelihoods first

Revamped ‘patriotic’ municipal bodies are not expected to be just a copy of the city government, but to reflect the views of those they represent

6 Jan 2024 - 6:15AM

Hong Kong politics

Opinion | District council elections: how opposition parties can reinvent themselves

17 Nov 2023 - 4:30PMvideocam

Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong on hunt for new Legco admin chief ahead of Chen retirement

10 Jul 2023 - 5:39PM

Hong Kong at 25

October 12, 2016: ‘Declaration of war as Hong Kong Legco opens’

Hong Kong’s newly elected legislature descended into open war with localists brandishing “Hong Kong is not China” banners at their swearing- in ceremony, while a pro-establishment stalwart was elected president after being taken to task over his British nationality.

13 Jun 2022 - 9:30PM

Lawmakers clash during the Legislative Council’s presidential election session, in just one of many angry exchanges at yesterday’s meeting. Photo: Sam Tsang

Legislative Council of Hong Kong

Editorial | Hard work begins after the Hong Kong oaths end

With no dissenting voices, the swearing-in ceremony for members of the Legislative Council was uneventful, but now those lawmakers must prove they can meet the daunting challenges ahead.

4 Jan 2022 - 7:30AM

Hong Kong Legco election 2021

Hong Kong’s 90 new lawmakers sworn in for first Legco of ‘patriots-only’ era

Proceedings pass without any of the improper oath-taking antics of the 2016 ceremony, though two lawmakers-elect ordered to repeat their vows over missing words.

3 Jan 2022 - 11:21PMvideocam

Hong Kong politics

Social workers board ‘must pledge allegiance’ to Hong Kong under security law

15-strong board that regulates Hong Kong’s 27,000 social workers will be required to swear allegiance, labour minister says.

21 Nov 2021 - 11:11PMvideocam

Civil servants pledge allegiance to Hong Kong at an oath-taking ceremony last year. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong politics

Editorial | A ‘loyal’ Legco is not tantamount to a carte blanche for officials

Administration must win broad public support for policies and funding requests, while new lawmakers should ensure that proper checks and balances are in place.

29 Oct 2021 - 7:42AMvideocam

Hong Kong national security law

US and allies object to disqualification of Hong Kong district councillors

The ‘arbitrary’ disqualifications ‘prevent people in Hong Kong from participating meaningfully in their own governance’, US State Department spokesman says.

22 Oct 2021 - 5:05AMvideocam

Hong Kong national security law

More district councillors ousted after Hong Kong oath-taking ceremonies

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Roy Kwong among 16 unseated by home affairs chief on Thursday, with total number of municipal-level opposition politicians removed for not being patriotic enough rising to 55.

21 Oct 2021 - 11:03PMvideocam

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Roy Kwong was among those unseated on Thursday. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong politics

Role of Hong Kong’s district councils needs reviewing: home affairs chief

Caspar Tsui backs looking at the ‘direction’ of district councils following reports of a pending overhaul of the electoral system for the municipal-level bodies.

16 Sep 2021 - 9:44PM

Caspar Tsui believes the time is coming for a review of how district councils operate. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong courts

Ousted Hong Kong lawmaker loses final bid to overturn Legco conviction

Court of Final Appeal upholds Sixtus Baggio Leung’s unlawful assembly conviction. Leung was jailed for charging security at a Legco meeting.

16 Jul 2021 - 11:28PM

Hong Kong courts

Ex-Hong Kong lawmaker’s last-ditch bid to overturn Legco storming conviction

Sixtus Baggio Leung is challenging at the Court of Final Appeal his conviction for unlawful assembly, when he barged into a Legco meeting to try and take his oath.

22 Jun 2021 - 11:29PM

Hong Kong national security law

150 district councillors face disqualification under Hong Kong’s new oath law

Councillors who ran in opposition’s unofficial primary, offered their offices as polling stations, or threatened to vote down government, are at risk of unseating.

17 Jun 2021 - 3:20AMvideocam

Oath-taking requirements have been extended to civil servants and district councillors in the wake of the national security law. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong national security law

Oath rules extended to Hong Kong government staff on non-civil service contracts

Civil Service Bureau says that 11,000 or so of its full-time staff hired on those terms face dismissal if they do not meet the allegiance requirements.

21 May 2021 - 11:28PMvideocam

All government staff, including those on non-civil service contracts, will be required to take an oath. Photo: Nora Tam

Legislative Council of Hong Kong

Number of civil servants quitting Hong Kong government hits 15-year high

Nearly 2,000 walked away in 2020-21, accounting for almost a fifth of total number who left in the past financial year.

13 May 2021 - 1:40PM

Hong Kong national security law

Britain ‘sheltering suspects’ by granting asylum to fugitive Hong Kong activist

Foreign ministry calls on London to withdraw its asylum offer to Nathan Law, describing the decision as ‘gross interference’ in Hong Kong’s judicial system.

8 Apr 2021 - 11:01PM

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Hong Kong politics

Some opposition district councillors ready to quit rather than take new oath

A handful have already made up their minds to resign and others are weighing it, worried that even if they did take the oaths, they would later be ruled invalid.

28 Mar 2021 - 8:44AM

Residents queue up to cast their votes in the 2019 district council elections. Photo: EPA-EFE

Hong Kong political reform

Opinion | Hong Kong election reform: Beijing demands loyalty because trust is lacking

Hong Kong’s pursuit of democracy has ended up in this sorry state because the opposition failed to build trust with Beijing. Only when loyalty is not in dispute can Hong Kong create a space for democratic experiments.

19 Mar 2021 - 9:15AMvideocam

Hong Kong courts

Court declares ousted lawmaker bankrupt over failure to repay Legco funds

The court made its declaration after Sixtus Baggio Leung ignored orders to return some HK$930,000 he received from the legislature prior to his ousting in 2016.

6 Jan 2021 - 7:08PM

Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong activist Nathan Law applies for political asylum in Britain

The former opposition lawmaker has been in self-imposed exile in London for six months.

22 Dec 2020 - 3:05AMvideocam

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Exiled activist Nathan Law addresses a recent rally in London. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images

Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong Democratic Party’s new chief is ‘mild, not controversial’ Lo Kin-hei

Party’s new chairman keen to regain presence in Legco, hopes to contest elections next year.

14 Dec 2020 - 9:30AMvideocam

Lo Kin-hei is the new chairman of the Democratic Party. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Legislative Council of Hong Kong

Ex-Hong Kong lawmaker Sixtus Baggio Leung seeking asylum in US

A group of activists in exile has said Leung left the city at the end of last month after facing ’profound political persecution’.

12 Dec 2020 - 2:13PM

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Hong Kong politics

Opinion | Why Hong Kong should not give up on democratic elections

Although the disqualification of four lawmakers has called into question whether pro-democracy candidates should contest elections any more, doing so still serves a purpose even when the odds are stacked against them.

9 Dec 2020 - 8:38AMvideocam

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Carrie Lam policy address 2020

Hong Kong policy address ‘wasn’t exactly a confidence booster’

Analysts say unlike her previous announcements, this year’s speech by Carrie Lam left many questions unanswered and lacked eye-catching initiatives.

26 Nov 2020 - 8:16AMvideocam

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam arrives for a press conference after delivering her annual policy address earlier at the Legislative Council. Photo: AFP

Carrie Lam policy address 2020

Hong Kong leader outlines steps to move city beyond political chaos of past year

Carrie Lam says changes will be made to oath-taking laws to align them with Beijing’s recent resolution that led to unseating of opposition legislators.

27 Nov 2020 - 11:06AMvideocam

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam gives her annual policy address in front of seats once occupied by opposition members. Photo: AFP

My Take

My Take | End of the road for Dennis Kwok

Pan-democrats hide their political moderation, their most valuable asset, from anti-government radicals and, in the end, make themselves irrelevant to both sides.

22 Nov 2020 - 10:56PM

Legislative Council of Hong Kong

A new era: how will Hong Kong’s legislature function without an opposition?

Beijing ruling earlier this month triggered expulsion of four opposition lawmakers and synchronised resignation of remaining colleagues.

22 Nov 2020 - 11:33PMvideocam

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