Former Umbrella Movement leader Lester Shum says he’s been disqualified from September’s legislative election, which reports suggest will be postponed later today: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDQjo-kJr2i/?igshid=16vf9iqvoy6mm

Multiple other candidates including several from the traditional pro-dem Civic Party (fairly centrist in terms of Hong Kong opposition groups). Hard to see which serious opposition candidates will make the cut at this point. https://twitter.com/damon_pang/status/1288746264842997761?s=21 https://twitter.com/damon_pang/status/1288746264842997761

Maybe some very milquetoast Democratic Party candidates will survive, but apart from them, the official opposition will be what? The slightly less pro-Beijing than DAB Liberal Party and whatever supposed “rational” group Ronny Tong cobbles together this time?

I’m not the first person to point this out, but Alvin Yeung, DQ’ed today, was the moderate, sensible alternative to pro independence firebrand Edward Leung in 2016, before Leung was barred from running in a subsequent poll. Now Yeung too deemed unacceptably dangerous by gov.

Searching for logic from HK gov is a struggle sometimes (see coronavirus) but I truly don’t understand why you would do this on the day they are reportedly going to announce postponement of the election. Unless they’re going to say this nomination period holds until next year?

My point being, if nomination period is extended or restarted next year (currently due to close Friday), that gives the opposition a lot more time to find "clean" candidates who will be more difficult to disqualify (that's not to say they won't be, but still).

Government statement suggests these 12 will not be the end: "Returning Officers are still reviewing the validity of other nominations according to the laws. We do not rule out the possibility that more nominations would be invalidated."

Joshua Wong disqualified for calling NSL "draconian," while Dennis Kwok was barred for planning to use LegCo to pressure the government (in the potential but unlikely circumstance the opposition won a majority): https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/30/asia/hong-kong-election-disqualified-intl-hnk/index.html

In Wong's case, returning officer cited, among many points, the continued existence online of a statement published prior to the security law's enaction by a political party that no longer exists:

Also makes clear that any opposition to the security law is itself sufficient for being disqualified: "candidate's expression of an objection in principle to the enactment of the (NSL) demostrates ... the candidate ... cannot have the intention to uphold the Basic Law."

Going back to the timing point, strategically this is such a bizarre move if – as widely reported – the government is going to announce the postponement of the election later today: https://twitter.com/alicemuwu/status/1288763874125086720