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26 lists for Geographical Constituencies 5 lists for Functional Constituencies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 606,761 (13.62%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries were held on 11 and 12 July 2020 for selecting the numbers of pro-democracy candidates for the subsequently postponed 2020 Legislative Council election to maximise the chance for the pro-democrats to achieve a majority in the 70-seat Legislative Council.
With a turnout of more than 600,000, which equals to nearly half of votes received by the pro-democracy camp in the 2016 general election, it was the most-participated primary held in the history of Hong Kong, despite the SAR government's threats of the organisers' potential breaching of the newly imposed national security law.
Traditional pro-democrat parties lost ground to the localist new faces, with an unofficial six-person alliance led by Joshua Wong and Nathan Law of the disbanded Demosistō becoming the biggest winner in the primaries. The candidates they endorsed also emerged as either top or runner-up candidates in their respective constituencies.
55 candidates and participants were arrested under the national security law on 6 January 2021, of which 47 were officially charged with conspiracy to commit subversion.
In 2019 amid the historic anti-extradition protests and the pro-democracy landslide in the District Council elections, legal scholar Benny Tai, one of the initiators of the 2014 Occupy protests, put forward a plan for the pro-democrats to win a majority of the seats in the Legislative Council to block the government's bills including the expected legislation of the Article 23 of the Basic Law which would in turn put pressure on the government to implement the five key demands of the protest movement. Based on prior experience, where excessive numbers of candidates split the pro-democratic votes in the 2016 election, he proposed a primary election within the pro-democracy camp to maximise the chance for the pro-democrats to win more seats by setting a limit on the numbers of candidates and avoid wasting votes. [1] Then, Benny Tai expects those elected legislative councillors to execute so-called "10 steps to burn with us", veto the Hong Kong SAR government's Budget bill without any reason, making a constitutional crisis and forcing the resignation of the Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive. [2]
To be eligible for the primaries, each candidate had to obtain at least 100 registered voter nominations and pay a deposit of HK$10,000. The election, organised by Benny Tai and former Legislative Council member Au Nok-hin, [3] coordinated by Power for Democracy, was set to take place from 11 to 12 July between 9 am and 9 pm. The voting system was designed by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI), which also conducted polls on the recommended candidates. The surveyed results would be used to consolidate the final list of nominees for each seat in the official election in September. Voters were required to submit proof of residency or electoral register identification, and bring a smartphone to designated polling stations where they would scan the QR code and fill out their personal details to vote. [4]
A total of 52 nomination lists were received during the nomination period for all five geographical constituencies, the five-seat District Council (Second) and Health Services functional constituency. Most potential candidates pledged their willingness to coordinate with organisers, except for political party Civic Passion and New Territories East candidate Law Ting-fai who declined to join the primaries. [4]
The Kwai Chung-based small political group Neighbourhood and Worker's Service Centre (NWSC) which held one seat in the legislature also declared they would not follow the agreement in which a losing candidate in the primaries would not participate in the general election. Instead, the NWSC suggested it may drop out in the latter stage if the poll numbers suggested the candidate had no chance of winning. There was a backlash among the pro-democrats towards the NWSC, which was accused of undermining the mechanism of the primaries. The NWSC later withdrew their candidacy altogether and stated that they would not field any candidate in the general election. [5]
Constituency | No. of nominations | Target seats | Total seats | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Primaries | General | |||
Hong Kong Island | 8 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Kowloon West | 9 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Kowloon East | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
New Territories West | 8 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
New Territories East | 12 | 7 | 6–7 | 9 |
District Council (Second) | 5 | 4 | 3–4 | 5 |
Health Services | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
TOTAL | 52 | 31 | 27–29 | 41 |
On 30 June, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) approved the final draft of the national security legislation for Hong Kong. Hours after the approval, leading members of pro-democracy group Demosistō Joshua Wong, Nathan Law, Agnes Chow and Jeffrey Ngo announced their departure from the party. Demosistō members had been repeatedly barred from standing for election with authorities citing their previous stance on "self-determination" for the city, of which Wong and Law were also running in the upcoming primaries as Demosistō members. Subsequently, Demosistō declared that it would disband after the mass resignations on the same day. [6] Few days after, Nathan Law said he had fled Hong Kong in response to the security law. [7] He later dropped out from the primaries and endorsed Tiffany Yuen. [8]
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang warned that the primaries might violate the new Beijing-imposed national security law. Tsang said one of the objectives of the primaries was to win a majority of seats in the legislature and subsequently vote against the budget. He added this could contravene clauses in the new law prohibiting secession, subversion and collusion with foreign powers. Benny Tai refuted the claim by saying such advocacy work was in accordance with the principles of the Basic Law. He added that vetoing the budget would not constitute "seriously interfering in, disrupting, or undermining the performance of duties and functions" of the government under Article 22 of the new law because the chief executive has the power to dismiss the legislature and call a by-election. [9]
On 10 July one day before the primaries, the Housing Authority sent out a mass letter saying all District Councillors were barred from using their offices as polling stations or for any purposes other than related to district council activities. It warned that action might be taken against the District Councillors who were found to have violated terms in their rental contracts. A pro-democracy ice cream shop also had to scrap the plan to become a polling station after the property managers warned their participation could violate the tenancy agreement. [10] At night, Hong Kong Police raided the Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI) office in Wong Chuk Hang, accusing the organisation of dishonest use of a computer. Au Nok-hin said the police move was to suppress the weekend voting and cast a "deterrent effect" on organisers and supporters. [11]
Over 590,000 electronic ballots and more than 20,000 paper ballots were recorded throughout the two-day vote, more than 13 per cent of the total number of registered voters and far exceeding the organisers' expected turnout of 170,000. Despite the national security law and legal threats, "Hong Kong people have made history again – another miracle happened in Hong Kong," Benny Tai said. "Hong Kong people – after all these years, since 2003 – have demonstrated to the world, and also to the authorities, that we have not given up to strive for democracy." [12]
Traditional parties lost ground in most of the direct constituencies to the localist new faces, with Democratic Party incumbent legislator Helena Wong only coming seventh in her Kowloon West constituency. [13] Former legislator "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung of the League of Social Democrats managed only ninth place in New Territories East for which only the top seven candidates would run in the general election. [13] Joseph Lee, incumbent legislator of the Health Services constituency lost to Winnie Yu of the labour union Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, which had launched a labour strike during the anti-extradition bill protests. Candidates from numerous small parties were wiped out, including Carol Ng from the Labour Party, who lost in New Territories West. [13]
Localist candidates emerged as the new force in the primaries, with an unofficial six-person alliance led by former Demosistō secretary-general Joshua Wong, incumbent legislator Eddie Chu and endorsed by withdrawn candidate Nathan Law, all became either the top or runner-up candidate in their respective constituencies. Wong himself was the top candidate in Kowloon East, while Eddie Chu and former journalist Gwyneth Ho came first in New Territories West and New Territories East respectively. [13] Tiffany Yuen who was endorsed by Nathan Law and activist Sunny Cheung also came in second in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon West respectively, while activist Lester Shum came in second in the District Council (Second) and Winnie Yu won the Health Services functional constituency.
Political Affiliation | Geographical Constituencies | Functional Constituencies | Total elected | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Popular vote | % | List | Elected | Popular vote | % | List | Elected | ||||
Democratic Party | 77,251 | 12.78 | 5 | 4 | 318,621 | 59.75 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
Civic Party | 73,054 | 12.08 | 4 | 4 | 10,579 | 1.98 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
People Power | 28,081 | 4.64 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | ||
League of Social Democrats | 34,962 | 5.78 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | ||
Neo Democrats | 15,021 | 2.48 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | ||
HK First | 9,308 | 1.54 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | ||
Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood | 8,776 | 1.45 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | ||
Labour Party | 10,860 | 1.80 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Community Alliance | 1,489 | 0.25 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Professionals Guild | — | — | — | — | 218 | 0.04 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Independent democrats | — | — | — | — | 54 | 0.01 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Total for traditional democrats | 258,802 | 42.80 | 20 | 14 | 329,472 | 61.78 | 5 | 2 | 16 | ||
Tuen Mun Community Network | 35,513 | 5.87 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | ||
Tin Shui Wai Connection | 20,525 | 3.39 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | ||
Peninsular Commons | 7,671 | 1.27 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Team Pang Cheuk-kei | 2,880 | 0.48 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Hospital Authority Employees Alliance | — | — | — | — | 2,493 | 0.47 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
Independent localists | 263,546 | 43.59 | 14 | 10 | 200,780 | 37.65 | 2 | 2 | 12 | ||
Total for localists | 330,135 | 54.60 | 18 | 12 | 203,273 | 38.12 | 3 | 3 | 15 | ||
Chai Wan Startup | 7,974 | 1.32 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Non-aligned independents | 7,749 | 1.28 | 3 | 0 | 516 | 0.10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Total | 604,660 | 100.00 | 42 | 26 | 533,261 | 100.00 | 9 | 5 | 31 | ||
Total valid votes | 604,660 | 99.65 | 533,261 | 100.00 | |||||||
Invalid votes | 2,101 | 0.35 | — | — | |||||||
Total votes / turnout | 606,761 | 13.62 | 533,261 | 12.61 | |||||||
Registered voters | 4,455,331 | 100.00 | 4,228,096 | 100.00 |
Hong Kong Island | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
List | Candidates | Votes | % | ± | |
Democratic | Hui Chi-fung, So Yat-hang | 28,189 | 31.17 | ||
Ind. democrat | Tiffany Yuen Ka-wai | 19,844 | 21.94 | ||
Independent | Fergus Leung Fong-wai | 14,743 | 16.30 | ||
Civic | Tat Cheng | 11,090 | 12.26 | ||
Chai Wan Startup | Chui Chi-kin | 7,974 | 8.82 | ||
Independent | Clarisse Yeung Suet-ying | 5,707 | 6.31 | ||
Team Pang | Pang Cheuk-kei, Ho Chi-wang, Clara Cheung, Li Wing-choi | 2,880 | 3.18 | ||
Total valid votes | 90,427 | 100.00 | |||
Rejected ballots | 48 | ||||
Turnout | 90,475 | 12.82 | |||
Registered electors | 705,525 |
Kowloon West | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
List | Candidates | Votes | % | ± | |
LSD | Sham Tsz-kit | 25,670 | 31.68 | ||
Nonpartisan | Sunny Cheung Kwan-yang | 16,992 | 20.97 | ||
HK First | Claudia Mo | 9,308 | 11.49 | ||
ADPL | Kalvin Ho Kai-ming | 7,791 | 9.62 | ||
Peninsular Commons | Frankie Fung Tat-chun, Lee Hin-long | 7,671 | 9.47 | ||
Nonpartisan | Lau Wai-chung | 6,295 | 7.77 | ||
Democratic | Wong Pik-wan | 4,718 | 5.82 | ||
Independent | Lau Chak-fung | 1,426 | 1.76 | ||
Nonpartisan | Jeffrey Alterin Andrews | 1,150 | 1.42 | ||
Total valid votes | 81,021 | 100.00 | |||
Rejected ballots | 143 | ||||
Turnout | 81,164 | 13.51 | |||
Registered electors | 600,864 |
Kowloon East | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
List | Candidates | Votes | % | ± | |
Independent | Joshua Wong Chi-fung [lower-alpha 1] | 31,398 | 34.05 | ||
Civic | Jeremy Tam Man-ho | 23,244 | 25.20 | ||
Localist | Li Ka-tat | 15,194 | 16.48 | ||
People Power | Tam Tak-chi | 10,980 | 11.91 | ||
Democratic | Wu Chi-wai | 10,421 | 11.30 | ||
ADPL | Sze Tak-loy | 985 | 1.07 | ||
Total valid votes | 92,222 | 100.00 | |||
Rejected ballots | 221 | ||||
Turnout | 92,443 | 13.05 | |||
Registered electors | 708,348 |
New Territories West | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
List | Candidates | Votes | % | ± | |
Nonpartisan | Eddie Chu Hoi-dick, Eddie Chan Shu-fai, Fung Siu-yin, Wong Pit-man | 49,901 | 28.27 | ||
TMCN | Sam Cheung Ho-sum | 35,513 | 20.12 | ||
Independent | Wong Ji-yuet | 22,911 | 12.98 | ||
TSW Connection | Ng Kin-wai, Lam Chun | 20,525 | 11.63 | ||
Democratic | Andrew Wan Siu-kin | 18,608 | 10.54 | ||
Civic | Kwok Ka-ki | 13,354 | 7.56 | ||
Labour | Carol Ng Man-yee | 10,860 | 6.15 | ||
Neo Democrats | Tam Hoi-pong, Roy Pun Long-chung | 4,865 | 2.76 | ||
Total valid votes | 176,537 | 100.00 | |||
Rejected ballots | 39 | ||||
Turnout | 176,576 | 13.54 | |||
Registered electors | 1,303,946 |
New Territories East | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
List | Candidates | Votes | % | ± | |
Nonpartisan | Ho Kwai-lam | 26,802 | 16.30 | ||
Localist | Lau Wing-hong, Li Chi-wang, Chiu Chu-pong, Wong Hok-lai, Chan Wan-tung, Ricardo Liao Pak-hong, William Shek, Lo Tak-ming, Wong Ho-fung | 26,707 | 16.24 | ||
Civic | Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu | 25,366 | 15.42 | ||
People Power | Raymond Chan Chi-chuen | 17,101 | 10.40 | ||
Nonpartisan | Owen Chow Ka-shing | 16,758 | 10.19 | ||
Democratic | Lam Cheuk-ting, Wong Hoi-ying, Ng Ting-lam, Kwok Long-fung | 15,315 | 9.31 | ||
Neo Democrats | Gary Fan Kwok-wai, Lai Ming-chak | 10,156 | 6.18 | ||
Nonpartisan | Hendrick Lui Chi-hang | 9,813 | 5.97 | ||
LSD | Leung Kwok-hung | 9,292 | 5.65 | ||
Nonpartisan | Mike Lam | 5,350 | 3.25 | ||
Community Alliance | Ricky Or Yiu-lam | 1,489 | 0.91 | ||
Independent | Lee Chi-yung | 304 | 0.18 | ||
Total valid votes | 164,453 | 100.00 | |||
Rejected ballots | 1,650 | ||||
Turnout | 166,103 | 14.61 | |||
Registered electors | 1,136,648 |
District Council (Second) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
List | Candidates | Votes | % | ± | |
Democratic | Kwong Chun-yu | 268,630 | 50.69 | ||
Nonpartisan | Lester Shum | 129,074 | 24.35 | ||
Localist | Wong Pak-yu | 71,706 | 13.53 | ||
Democratic | James To Kun-sun | 49,991 | 9.43 | ||
Civic | Lee Yue-shun | 10,579 | 2.00 | ||
Total valid votes | 529,980 | 100.00 | |||
Rejected ballots | N/A | ||||
Turnout | 529,980 | 12.66 | |||
Registered electors | 4,187,738 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HAEA | Winnie Yu Wai-ming | 2,493 | 75.98 | ||
Ind. democrat | Michael Felix Lau Hoi-man | 516 | 15.73 | ||
Professionals Guild | Joseph Lee Kok-long | 218 | 6.64 | ||
Nonpartisan | Yuen Wai-kit | 54 | 1.65 | ||
Total valid votes | 3,281 | 100.00 | |||
Rejected ballots | 0 | ||||
Turnout | 8.13 | ||||
Registered electors | 40,358 |
Chief Executive Carrie Lam issued a strong warning to the candidates and organisers of the primaries, saying it was subversive for them to vow to seize control of the legislature and vote down key government proposals. "If this so-called primary election's purpose is to achieve the ultimate goal of delivering what they called '35+' [lawmakers], with the objective of objecting or resisting every policy initiative of the HKSAR government, it may fall into the category of subverting the state power – one of the four types of offences under the national security law," she said. [13]
A spokesman for Beijing's Liaison Office in Hong Kong condemned the opposition camp for ignoring the Hong Kong government's warning of possible legal breaches and pressing ahead with the primary. "It is a serious provocation to the current election system, seriously damages the fairness and impartiality of the Legislative Council election, and seriously harms to the legal rights and interests of other candidates," the office wrote. [14] It named Benny Tai as a suspect in a possible breach of the national security law by coordinating with the opposition camp to seek control of the legislature, vote down the budget, paralyse the government and subvert the state power. It also accused Tai and the opposition of aiming to take over the city's governance by staging the Hong Kong version of a "colour revolution". [13] The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) also accused organiser Benny Tai of "illegally manipulating" the Hong Kong's electoral system, challenging the new national security law and acting as a political agent for foreign forces. [15]
Benny Tai defended that the candidates were not seeking to undermine the performance of duties and functions by the body of power of the central government or of Hong Kong, referring to their agreement that pro-democrats should veto the budget if they were voted into the legislature. "Legco’s power of vetoing the budget is stated in the Basic Law," he said. "How can a power that is recognised by the Basic Law be breaching the national security law?" [13] Amid the threats from the Beijing authorities, Au Nok-hin announced on 15 July that he would step down as the organiser of the primaries. [16]
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo congratulated the success of the primaries and said the United States was gravely concerned over Carrie Lam's warning that the primaries might have violated the new national security law. In a statement, Pompeo said Washington would be watching developments in Hong Kong closely and urged the Legislative Council general election in September to be "equally free and fair". [17] [18]
53 pro-democracy activists were arrested on the morning of 6 January 2021 under the new national security law over their organisation and participation in the primaries including six organizers and 47 participants. The police also searched 72 places including home of jailed activist Joshua Wong, the offices of news outlets Apple Daily , Stand News and InMedia HK and froze more than $200,000 in funds related to the effort. [19] Maya Wang of Human Rights Watch issued a statement condemning the arrests: "The Chinese government has decided to mark 2021 with sweeping arrests of over 50 prominent pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, removing the remaining veneer of democracy in the city. Beijing once again has failed to learn from its mistakes in Hong Kong: that repression generates resistance, and that millions of Hong Kong people will persist in their struggle for their right to vote and run for office in a democratically elected government." [20] The arrests also received a round of international criticism. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called "the mass arrest of politicians and activists in Hong Kong is a grievous attack on Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms as protected under the Joint Declaration." [21]
On 28 February 2021, of the 55 pro-democracy figures initially arrested in January, 47 were officially charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the national security law. [22] [23]
The pro-democracy camp, also known as the pan-democracy camp, is a political alignment in Hong Kong that supports increased democracy, namely the universal suffrage of the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council as given by the Basic Law under the "One Country, Two Systems" framework.
James To Kun-sun is a Hong Kong lawyer and Democratic Party politician. From 1991 to 2020, To was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, representing the District Council (Second) constituency. In his final four years, To was the most senior member in the Legislative Council, and was also the convenor of the pro-democracy caucus from 2016 to 2017. He was also a former member of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council representing Olympic.
Civic Passion was a radical, populist, localist, and nativist political party in Hong Kong. Founded by Wong Yeung-tat as an activist group in 2012, it held strong localist views and opposed the involvement of the Chinese government in the governance of Hong Kong. In the 2016 Legislative Council election, the Civic Passion formed an electoral alliance with Wong Yuk-man's Proletariat Political Institute and Chin Wan's Hong Kong Resurgence Order. Cheng Chung-tai became the only candidate of the alliance elected to the legislature and subsequently took over as the leader of the Civic Passion. After the election, Cheng reorganised the group into a political party and pulled out from the social activism. From December 2020 to August 2021, it was the only opposition party in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
Benny Tai Yiu-ting is a Hong Kong legal scholar, political figure, and democracy activist. He was an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong.
The 2016 Hong Kong Legislative Council election was held on 4 September 2016 for the 6th Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo). A total of 70 members, 35 from geographical constituencies (GCs) and 35 from functional constituencies (FCs), were returned. The election came after the rejection of the 2016/2017 constitutional reform proposals which suggested the electoral method for the 2016 Legislative Council remains unchanged.
Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu is a Hong Kong barrister and politician. He was formerly the leader of the Civic Party and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, representing New Territories East after winning the 2016 by-election. On 11 November 2020, Yeung was disqualified from the Legislative Council, along with three other lawmakers of the pan-democratic camp, by the central government in Beijing on request of the Hong Kong government. A mass resignation of pan-democrats the same day left the Legislative Council without a substantial opposition.
Liberalism has a long tradition as an economic philosophy since the founding of Hong Kong as an entrepôt which cherishes private property, the free market, and free trade. In recent decades, Hong Kong has earned its international reputation as one of the "freest economies in the world". As a political trend, liberalism has become the driving force of the democratic movement since the 1980s which is mainly represented by the pro-democracy camp which strives for the universal suffrage, human rights and rule of law in Hong Kong.
Localist groups, or localist and self-determination groups, are the various groups with localist ideologies in Hong Kong. It emerged from post-80s social movements in the late 2000s which centred on the preservation of the city's autonomy and local lifestyles and opposed the perceived growing encroachment of the Chinese government on the city's management of its own political, economic, and social affairs.
Au Nok-hin is a pro-democracy politician in Hong Kong. He is the former member of the Legislative Council for Hong Kong Island from 2018 to 2019 and member of the Southern District Council for Lei Tung I from 2012 to 2019.
The 2019 Hong Kong District Council elections were held on 24 November 2019 for all 18 District Councils of Hong Kong. 452 seats from all directly elected constituencies, out of the 479 seats in total, were contested. Nearly three million people voted, equivalent to 71 per cent of registered voters, an unprecedented turnout in the electoral history of Hong Kong. The election was widely viewed as a de facto referendum on the concurrent anti-extradition protests.
Ventus Lau Wing-hong is a Hong Kong politician. He is the convenor of the Shatin Community Network and the founding convenor of the Community Network Union, an alliance of the localist community groups in different districts. He came to media attention in the 2018 New Territories East by-election and his candidacy was disqualified by the returning officer for his previous pro-Hong Kong independence stance. For his participation in the 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries he was part of a mass arrest on national security charges in January 2021 and remains in jail as of October 2021.
The 2018 Hong Kong Legislative Council by-election was held on 11 March 2018 for four of the six vacancies in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo) - the Hong Kong Island, Kowloon West and New Territories East geographical constituencies and the Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape functional constituency - resulting from the disqualification of six pro-democrat and localist camp Legislative Council members over the 2016 oath-taking controversy. The by-election for the two other seats was not held due to pending legal appeals by the two disqualified legislators.
Fergus Leung Fong-wai is a Hong Kong politician formerly serving as a member of the Central and Western District Council, representing Kwun Lung. Leung ran as an independent Localist camp candidate in the 2019 District Council elections and won his seat with 50.69% of the vote.
Henry Wong Pak-yu is a Hong Kong politician and social activist. He is the spokesman of the local community group Tin Shui Wai New Force and also a member of the Information Technology subsector in the Election Committee. In 2019, he won in the District Council election and became a member the Yuen Long District Council for Tin Heng.
Tiffany Yuen Ka-wai is a Hong Kong activist and politician, who has been a member of the Southern District Council for Tin Wan since 2020. She was the vice chairperson of Demosistō before resigning from the party in 2018. For her participation in the 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries, she was arrested in January 2021 along with over 50 other pro-democrats on national security charges and remains in jail as of October 2021.
Owen Chow Ka-shing is a Hong Kong localist camp activist. He was a 2019 District Council election candidate in Tai Wai and ran in the pro-democracy primaries for the 2020 Legislative Council election with the slogan "reject colonisers, national resistance against tyranny" in New Territories East.
In the subsequently postponed 2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council election, 12 opposition candidates were disqualified by the returning officers from running in the election, including four incumbent legislators, Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki, Dennis Kwok and Kenneth Leung, as well as activists Joshua Wong, Ventus Lau, Gwyneth Ho and Cheng Kam-mun and incumbent District Councillors Lester Shum, Tiffany Yuen, Fergus Leung and Cheng Tat-hung.
The 2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council election was originally scheduled on 6 September 2020 until it was postponed by the government. On 31 July 2020, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that she was invoking the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to postpone the election under the emergency powers granted to her by it, citing the recent resurgence of the COVID-19 cases, adding that the move was supported by Beijing.
The Hong Kong 47 are a group of 47 pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the Hong Kong national security law.
On 11 November 2020, 15 Hong Kong pro-democracy members of the Legislative Council announced their resignations in protest against the decision of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) which bars Legislative Council members from supporting Hong Kong independence, refusing to recognise Beijing's sovereignty over Hong Kong, seeking help from "foreign countries or foreign forces to interfere in the affairs of the region" or committing "other acts that endanger national security" that resulted in the disqualification of pro-democracy legislators Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung. In July 2020, the four had been barred from running in the subsequently postponed Legislative Council election originally scheduled for September 2020. The resignation en masse left the Legislative Council membership dwindled to 43 out of the total number of 70 seats, with virtually no opposition for the first time since the 1997 handover.