Shanghai | The Hong Kong government has banned the city’s most high-profile democracy activist from running in local council elections next month, in a move likely to inflame tensions over an electoral system which favours pro-Beijing candidates.

Joshua Wong, a former student who was jailed after becoming the face of the 2014 Umbrella pro-democracy movement, had his application to run as a candidate in November's District Council elections disqualified on Tuesday.

The Hong Kong government said the 23-year-old was not eligible to run because he had breached electoral law requirements by advocating self-determination for Hong Kong, a breach of the territory's mini-constitution known as the Basic Law.

Anti-government protests in Hong Kong are now in their fifth month. Getty

A defiant Mr Wong accused Beijing of manipulating the elections with "political censorship and screening". He said he was the only person disqualified out of more than 1100 candidates for the November 24 polls.

Mr Wong earlier argued that he and his electoral party, Demosisto, did not support independence for Hong Kong but backed a non-binding referendum on key issues affecting the city's future.