1981 Hong Kong municipal election

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1981 Hong Kong municipal election
Flag of Hong Kong 1959.svg
  1979 5 March 1981 1983  

6 (of the 12) elected seats to the Urban Council
Registered34,381 Increase2.svg9.21%
Turnout6,195 (18.02%) Decrease2.svg21.45pp
 First partySecond party
  Hilton Cheong-Leen.png
Leader Hilton Cheong-Leen Brook Bernacchi
Party Civic Reform
Seats before43
Seats after42
Seat changeSteady2.svgDecrease2.svg1
Popular vote11,6887,291
Percentage45.35%28.29%

Chairman before election

A. de O. Sales
Independent

Elected Chairman

Hilton Cheong-Leen
Civic

The 1981 Hong Kong Urban Council election was held on 5 March 1981 for the six of the 12 elected seats of the Urban Council of Hong Kong. Only about 6,195 of the 34,381 voters, cast their ballots in the election, accounting for 18 per cent turnout rate, breaking the record as the lowest turnout rate in history until the 1989 Urban & Regional Council elections. [1]

It was the last Urban Council election with the limited franchise. Before the election, the government announced a major reform of the Urban Council to expand electorate to all Hong Kong permanent residents over 21 in the next year in 1983, which made the term of the elected members in this election only two years.

Overview of outcome

Urban Council Election 1981 [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Civic Choi Kwok-ching 4,123 16.00 +4.44
Civic Peter Chan Chi-kwan 3,882 15.06 +2.57
Reform Francis Chaine 3,750 14.56 +6.69
Civic Chow Wai-hung 3,683 14.30 +0.23
Independent Tsin Sai-nin 2,879 11.17 −0.99
Independent Peter Chan Po-fun 2,781 10.80 New
Reform Shum Kui-chung2,4349.44
Independent Cham Po-cheung1,1344.40
Reform Chan Chan-nam1,1074.30
Turnout 6,19518.02−21.45
Registered electors 34,381+9.21

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References

  1. "市局選議員今晨揭曉 選民反應空前冷淡". 香港工商日報. 1981-03-06. p. 8.
  2. "Notice of Result of an Ordinary Election". Hong Kong Gazette. No. 814. 13 March 1981.