Hong Kong activist on his election disqualification

A  Hong Kong activist said Friday that being barred from running in a local election will not stop the cause for democracy in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

A dozen pro-democracy candidates, including prominent pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, were disqualified from running in the legislative elections as they were deemed to not comply with the Basic Law or pledge allegiance to the city and Beijing.

The mass disqualification marked a setback for the opposition camp, which had aimed to win a majority of seats in the legislature this year.

Earlier this month they held an unofficial primary with candidates including Wong topping the polls.

"Beijing has staged multiple acts to prevent the opposition bloc from taking the majority in Hong Kong legislature," he said.

"I just hope to let Beijing (be) aware that even we can't run for office, we will still have our position and engagement in the democracy movement in Hong Kong," he said.

Hong Kong's Legislative Council election was announced for September 6, but now many local media reports say it will be delayed.