2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council mass resignations

12 pro-democrats including four incumbent Legislative Council members – Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki, Dennis Kwok and Kenneth Leung – were also disqualified on the grounds of either expressing an objection in principle to the newly imposed national security law, refusing to recognise the exercise of the sovereignty by the People's Republic of China over Hong Kong or soliciting foreign interference into Hong Kong affairs.

[8][9] Within a day, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced on 31 July that she would invoke the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to postpone the September general election for a whole year citing the recent resurgence of the COVID-19 cases.

[11] Pro-democracy legislators slammed the government for using the coronavirus outbreak as an excuse to delay the vote to avoid a potential repeating defeat in the election after the 2019 District Council electoral landslide.

[14] On 11 August, the National People Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) unanimously passed a decision to extend the incumbent 6th Legislative Council to extend its term for no less than one year, although it did not explain the legal basis for the extension which was in contradiction to the term limit stipulated in Article 69 of the Basic Law, neither did it mention the status of the four incumbent legislators who were barred from running by the returning officers in July.

[18] On 11 November 2020, the National People Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) ruled in a decision which bars Legislative Council members from supporting Hong Kong independence, refusing to recognise Beijing's sovereignty over Hong Kong, seeking help from "foreign countries or foreign forces to interfere in the affairs of the region" or committing "other acts that endanger national security", targeting the four sitting legislators, Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki, Dennis Kwok and Kenneth Leung whose candidacies had been invalidated by the returning officers earlier in July.

Following the decision, Chief Executive Carrie Lam explained that it was the Hong Kong government who had requested Beijing's intervention in the matter, contradicting her earlier pledge not to disqualify the four legislators.

[19] In response to the disqualification, Dennis Kwok said that "if observing due process and protecting systems...and fighting for democracy and human rights would lead to the consequences of being disqualified, it would be my honour.

[22] Cheng Chung-tai of localist Civic Passion and non-aligned independent Pierre Chan of the Medical constituency said they would remain in the Legislative Council, becoming the minority among 41 pro-Beijing members.