Hong Kong protesters cancel referendum
Pro-democracy demonstrators scrap vote on the next step in campaign, and apologise for lack of consultation
Associated Press in Hong Kong-Sunday 26 October 2014
The organisers of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests cancelled a Sunday vote on what the next step should be in their month-long street occupation, saying they had not properly consulted with the public before calling the referendum.
The vote was supposed to have asked the protesters about counterproposals to an offer made by Hong Kong’s government following last week’s talks between student protest leaders and authorities.
The government offered to submit a report to Beijing noting the protesters’ unhappiness with a decision to have an appointed committee screen candidates for the semiautonomous city’s leader, known as the chief executive. Protesters are demanding open nominations for chief executive in the city’s inaugural direct election, promised for 2017.
“We admit that we did not have enough discussion with the people before deciding to go ahead with the vote and we apologise to the people,” the organisers said in a statement.
Two student groups the Hong Kong Federation of Students and Scholarism and the activist group Occupy Central With Peace and Love had called for the referendum on Friday.
