US, UK along with allies urge Hong Kong to hold elections as soon as possible

The United States and the United Kingdom along with Canada, Australia and New Zealand urged Hong Kong to hold elections as soon as possible and have warned the authorities about the moves to "undermine the democratic process".

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Their statement comes after Chinese lawmakers convened to decide on the next steps after the election in the semi-autonomous city were postponed by a year due to coronavirus pandemic.

The foreign ministers of the five countries have shown their "grave concern" towards Hong Kong government’s unjust disqualification of candidates and disproportionate postponement of Legislative Council elections.

"These moves have undermined the democratic process that has been fundamental to Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity."

They urged "the Hong Kong government to hold the elections as soon as possible".

According to Hong Kong's current chief executive Carrie Lam, it would be logical to extend the term of the legislature at present. But the question remains on the four opposition lawmakers who have been disqualified from seeking re-election for breaching the new security law bill. These lawmakers were disqualified after calling for international sanctions on Beijing and Hong Kong.

The foreign ministers of the five nations, in a statement, urged for the disqualified legislators to be reinstated.

The joint statement from the five countries that share intelligence under the "Five Eyes" partnership said the security law was "eroding the Hong Kong people’s fundamental rights and liberties.

"We support the legitimate expectations of the people of Hong Kong to elect Legislative Council representatives via genuinely free, fair, and credible elections," they added.

On Friday, the United States imposed sanctions on a group of Chinese and Hong Kong officials, including Carrie Lam, involved in enforcing the highly controversial security law.

(Inputs from AFP)