Two Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers said on Monday that they would not continue in the extended Legislative Council after their official terms end this month.

Raymond Chan and Eddie Chu are the first pro-democracy lawmakers who have decided to opt out of Legco once their incumbent four-year terms end on Sept. 30.

Citing public health concerns, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on July 31 put forward a one-year postponement on the city’s legislative elections, which had been timetabled for Sept. 6. She described the decision as “the toughest” she had made since the COVID-19 outbreak erupted early this year.

On the same day as Lam’s announcement, Beijing’s agencies in the city – the Liaison Office and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office – issued separate statements expressing understanding and support for the decision.

The question of whether to stay or leave the extended term of the current legislature has ignited heated debates among the city’s demonstrators. Those against remaining have suggested an overall boycott of the Legco as they viewed the 12-month extension, proposed by Lam and later approved by Beijing, as depriving Hongkongers of their right to vote and stand for elections.

Those who preferred for representatives to stay in the extended Legco have said this would be vital to retain now-weakening opposition voices in the government.

Chu said on Monday that the extended Legco was illegal and violated the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, which clearly designated each legislative session to be four years.

He said during a press briefing that in his capacity as an activist, he would continue to press the government to restart the election process as early as possible.

On Sept. 6 when the legislative elections were supposed to be held, riot police filled the city’s streets in an attempt to stifle protests against the postponement, as well as the national security law introduced by Beijing that gives authorities sweeping powers to arrest protesters.

The 70-member legislature, which contains a mix of directly and indirectly elected seats, currently has 23 pro-democracy legislators, making the pro-Beijing camp the clear majority.

Buoyed by the months-long, anti-government protests, pro-democracy candidates claimed an emphatic victory in last year’s district council elections. The pro-democracy camp captured 389 of 452 elected seats. Critics have argued that the postponement of the Legco elections has stemmed from last year’s stunning defeat of the pro-Beijing camp.

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