The 2025 Hong Kong Legislative Council election is a general election that is scheduled to be held on 7 December 2025 to elect all 90 members of the 8th Legislative Council of Hong Kong.[2] Under the new electoral system introduced in 2021, 90 seats will be up for election, including 40 seats elected by the 1,500-member Election Committee, 30 seats of trade-based indirectly elected functional constituencies, and 20 seats of directly elected geographical constituencies. The election, in which only pro-government "patriots" may run and only 20 seats are popularly elected, is considered by the United States and various groups to be neither free nor fair.
This is the second "patriot-only" election under the new electoral system introduced in 2021, after which the Legislative Council was expanded from 70 to 90 seats, but with only 20 seats allocated for geographical constituencies (GCs) which are directly elected by constituents. The remaining seventy seats include 40 Election Committee Constituency (ECC) seats selected by the 1,500-member body, and 30 seats of trade-based indirectly elected functional constituencies (FCs) voted by selected groups of professionals and corporate representatives.
Only pro-Beijing "patriots" are allowed to run, the majority of opposition pro-democracy members were banned, jailed, or forced into exile. In addition, the election is considered a disproportionate two-tier democracy and very limited popular representation, as only 20 of the Council's 90 seats are directly elected. The current election laws are considered by the United States State Department, Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an inter-parliamentary group of lawmakers in several countries, and some NGOs to be neither free nor fair.[4][5][6]
Past legislative session
The 7th Legislative Council elected in 2021 was the first after the national security law and electoral changes were imposed by the government of China. Without any legislator explicitly from the pro-democracy camp, the legislature packed with pro-Beijing members was criticised to lack meaningful discussions and debates, while newcomers of the Legislative Council resorted to politically correct measures only, such as repeating speeches by Chinese officials.[7]Ming Pao reported in August 2023 that amongst the 24 government bills passed since the beginning of the legislative term, including the domestic security law which was fast-tracked,[8] 16 of those were approved without a quorum,[9] prompting concerns of LegCo members' performance.[10]Andrew Leung, President of the Legislative Council, denied claims that the chamber rubber-stamped bills and defended it as highly efficient.[11] However, an opinion poll by pro-government party and think tank Path of Democracy said 48.1% of the interviewed expressed dissatisfaction with legislators' performance and only 29.4% were content.[12]
Apart from evaluation from the own party, it was also reported that government officials were involved in assessing the performance of the legislators in the run-up to the election, an act seen as unprecedented before the "patriot-only" principle was implemented.[13]
Smart ballot box
In December 2024, the government of Hong Kong announced a series of new measures to be implemented in this election. The Improving Electoral Arrangements (Consolidated Amendments) Bill contained a plan to introduce "smart ballot boxes" to ensure ballots were validly marked.[14] While the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said the scanners would "streamline and enhance" procedures while ensuring that "cardinal election principles" such as voting confidentiality would be upheld, some lawmakers expressed concerns over the implications of compromising vote secrecy.[15] Although insisting the voter rights would be protected as voters would not be identified, the government withdrew the proposal less than a week later after "considering the views of legislators".[16] The bureau said it attaches great importance to the views and is willing to "accept well-intentioned advice", while the smart ballot boxes will still be made available for voters who choose to use them.[17]
Future of democrats and moderates
The implementation of the "Patriots administering Hong Kong" principle barred "unpatriotic" opposition from being elected to public offices. The flagship pro-democracy group, the Democratic Party, once the largest party in the Legislative Council, is expected to dissolve in 2025. Media sources indicated Chinese government has pressed for the closure of the "worthless" party, which was unable to run in the 2021 and 2023 "patriot-only" elections.[18] Reportedly also under pressure, the League of Social Democrats disbanded in late June. The pro-democracy camp is considered to have come to an end without any active political groups.
The new rules also reduced the portion of directly elected seats to around 22%, which was considered by democratic watchdogs as a decrease in democratic values.[5][6]Hong Kong Economic Journal said some members from the business sector recommended Beijing authorities to draw up a timeline to gradually reintroduce more elected seats in order to improve Hong Kong's international image and align with the Basic Law article. Third Side, the only self-claimed moderate group in the Legislative Council, and Path of Democracy, an extra-parliamentary moderate group, expressed the hope that an electoral reform would be initiated by the government in due course.[19] However, it was speculated by media that the moderates would also be barred from legislative races as they are "no longer needed in a patriotic administration".[20]
Retirement wave
Announcements
On 29 September, Andrew Leung, who served as president of the legislature for nine years, made a surprise announcement that he would stand down from the legislature, citing his age and his family.[21] He said he hoped this would give capable candidates time to prepare sufficiently for the election. His decision further raised speculation about an age limit of 70 for lawmakers, although Leung said it was solely his personal decision. While recalling his nine-year leadership, Leung said the Legislative Council successfully ended the opposition's disruption.[22] Possible successors for the presidency include Starry Lee and Chan Chun-ying.[23]Ma Fung-kwok, 70, announced his retirement on the same day as Leung, also citing his age.[23]
Two veteran legislators, 76-year-old Liberal Party leader Tommy Cheung and Chan Kin-por, 71, confirmed their intention not to seek another term on 11 October. Cheung said he had carefully considered his decision with the development of the One Country, Two Systems, while Chan said he would be passing the baton to younger rank to run for the election.[24] The sole self-branded "non-establishment" moderate member Tik Chi-yuen was also stepping down, saying a younger colleague from his party Third Side will run only as the party did not gather enough funding to support his re-election.[25] More lawmakers dropped out in the next few days, including 72-year-old Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong chairman Lo Wai-kwok,[26] pro-Beijing camp's unofficial convenor Martin Liao, aged 68,[27] and Roundtable convener Michael Tien.[28] Outspoken lawmakers such as Doreen Kong opted to stand down as well, and dismissed claims that she was forced to do so.[29] The two remaining legislators over 70, Regina Ip and Lai Tung-kwok of the New People's Party (NPP), confirmed their retirement on 25 October.[30] Another outspoken member Paul Tse did not submit nomination for the election and thereby ending his 17-year career in the assembly.[31]
As a result, 35 incumbent legislators did not seek re-election, more than half having served only one term.[32] All 12 incumbents who were over 70 chose not to seek re-election, while the other 23 decided against staying in the legislature likely because of their unsatisfactory performance, or vocal criticisms on some government policies, or to pave way for succession within the party.[3]
Reactions
The unprecedentedly large[33] wave of retirements sparked claims that Beijing imposed an age limit for lawmakers and demanded a major upheaval of the composition, although the officials denied "blessing" or giving "special treatment" for candidates.[34]John Lee, the Chief Executive, said the departures are normal and personal decisions by the lawmakers and the Executive Council will not be reshuffled after ExCo members left the LegCo.[27] Lee added the generational succession is a positive sign for the Legislative Council.[35] However, the farewell motion, which is tabled by convention at the last meeting to mark the end of the term, was withdrawn in light of possible "sensitive remarks" and giving undue advantages to legislators before the election.[36] A farewell banquet for LegCo members and John Lee was also cancelled.[37]
Both Chinese government and John Lee strongly rebutted claims that Beijing has "blessed" any hopefuls in the election and condemned "anti-China" forces for ongoing attempts to sabotage, disrupt, and discredit the patriots-only election through spreading rumours of Chinese interference. They also praised the retiring incumbents for their nobility and upright characters.[38][39][40]
A total of 161 nominations were received to run, seven more than the previous election, with 107 of them being newcomers. Nearly half, 13 of the 28 functional constituencies, were contested by new faces.[46]South China Morning Post noted that 30% of the 161 candidates had links to mainland Chinese firms, a 50% increase from 2021, which indicated the prominence of mainland capital in Hong Kong's economy. Up to 16 of the Hong Kong's 36 National People's Congress (NPC) deputies also registered to run in the election, more than double the seven in the 2021 election, alongside at least 12 members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).[47] All 161 competitors were cleared to contest by the vetting panel Candidate Eligibility Review Committee, as announced on 10 November.[48]
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB): DAB endorsed 26 candidates including 13 for the ten directly elected constituencies, hoping to win all two seats in each of the three constituencies. Five DAB members will run in functional constituencies, and the remaining eight will fight for seats selected by the Election Committee. 14 out of the 26 are incumbent legislators.[49][50]
Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA): Five of the current BPA legislators decided not to run, including incumbents Andrew Leung, also the LegCo President, Jeffrey Lam and party chairman Lo Wai-kwok. The party ran 14 candidates in the election, including four seeking re-election. The party endorse four candidates to run in direct elections, and five new candidates to run in the four functional constituencies held by the retiring incumbents, including the Commercial (First) constituency where two candidates from BPA would compete to succeed Andrew Leung.[52]
Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU): All seven current legislators are seeking another term, making the FTU the only major party with no serving members quitting the legislature. Along with the nine new faces, the FTU is putting forward 16 candidates in total, with nine in direct elections, three in functional constituencies, and four in the Election Committee constituency.[53]
Liberal Party: The Liberals also saw half of its four incumbents stepping down, including the longest-serving member in the LegCo, Tommy Cheung. The party slated to send five candidates for the election. Apart from the two legislators running for re-election, two hopefuls backed by the party will run in direct elections, while a third would seek to hold Tommy Cheung's seat after his retirement. It also marked the first time that Liberals would be absent from the race for the Transport constituency since its creation in 1998, after not endorsing any candidate to succeed Frankie Yick.[54]
Roundtable: Following convener Michael Tien's retirement, Mark Chong Ho-fung, director-general of the party, would stand as a candidate in Tien's New Territories North West constituency.[28]
PoD Research Institute (PoD): Allan Wong, an appointed member of the Yuen Long District Council, and Jeffrey Chan are nominated to run for a seat in New Territories North East and Kowloon East.[59] Wong and Chan are the only two candidates considered to be "non-core establishment members"; both did not declare their affiliation with PoD.[60]
Several district councillors joined the direct election as independents, including Kowloon City's Kitson Yang, who is seeking re-election as representative of Kowloon Central. Vivian Kong, Olympic gold medalist in fencing, stood in the Tourism constituency after her foreign residency barred her to run in direct elections.[61] Kong denied reports that she had considered making a bid in direct elections,[62] and confirmed that she had applied to give up her Canadian passport.[63]
The only moderate political party with a pro-democracy background, Third Side, which held one seat in the legislature, originally aimed at winning two geographical constituencies as a breakthrough and keeping one functional constituency.[64] Its single candidate failed to get enough nominations from each sector of the Election Committee, meaning that the party would lose all its representation in the upcoming LegCo.[65] The New Prospect for Hong Kong, a political party catering to mainland drifters in Hong Kong, did not put forward any candidate, after its sole incumbent Gary Zhang did not seek for re-election.[66]
The Hong Kong government announced that it would hold 39 election forums starting from 11 November.[48] Local media reported that several media organisations, including three television stations, had planned to hold "around eight to nine" election forums, but were called off suddenly, as candidates decided to only attend government forums due to time and stress. Government officials declined to comment whether the candidates were required to attend only government-organised forums.[67][68][69] However, the forums were criticised for lacking debate between the candidates, and the authorities reportedly encouraged more interaction in the following forums. Chief Secretary for AdministrationEric Chan said the government is hoping for a "higher-level" debate without insults, foul language, or other tactics seen in past debates.[70]
The content of an i-CABLE News interview which showed campaign workers who attended the forum unable to recall the candidates' names and admitting that the were arranged to participate without knowing its details was taken down a few hours after airing, but was not reported by mainstream Hong Kong media.[71]
Turnout campaign
The previous Legislative Council election recorded a historic low turnout of 30.2% despite widespread campaigning. In this election, the government allocated 1.28 billion dollars for advertising, marking an increase of over 50%. However, the pro-Beijing side expected another election with limited participation due to the 2025 National Games of China, taking place in November and December and to be held in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau for the first time, shifting the public's attention. Aiming for at least a turnout of 30%, they believed a costly advertising campaign, similar to the 2023 local elections, could be criticized as a waste of public money when the government's deficit remains troublesome.[72][73][74]Erick Tsang, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, said the government does not have a benchmark for the turnout.[75]
On 11 November, the Labour and Welfare Bureau announced that it would provide a one-off subsidy of HK$20,000 to elderly centres and district support centres for persons with disabilities for arranging transportation and staff to take elderly people with disabilities and their caregivers to polling stations to vote, and to provide care services to the elderly and persons with disabilities while the caregivers were at polling station.[78]
The Electoral Affairs Commission announced on 14 November that it would, for the first time, set up dedicated polling stations for elderly, disabled, medical staff, ethnic minorities and civil servants and disciplined services personnel on duty on polling day. Three polling stations would also be set up near the boundary at Sheung Shui, the Hong Kong Port of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Hong Kong International Airport. The voting hours would last 16 hours, extending two more hours from the 2021 election. Secretary for the Civil ServiceIngrid Yeung said the bureau had sent instructions to all bureau and department heads to establish a support centre at their respective departments on polling day in order to mobilise over 50,000 civil servants to help out and take all necessary measures to facilitate their voting, with compensation leave or overtime allowance granted for those who were on duty.[79]
Arrests
By 25 November, Hong Kong police had arrested, according to statements by secretary for security Chris Tang, 29 people for alleged criminal damage to posters, in what he said were believed to be separate cases.[80] Chief Executive John Lee vowing to take a hard line against any disruptions to the election. Beijing's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office also shared a strongly worded commentary urging vigilance against attempts to jeopardise the election, saying that local law enforcement would not "sit back and do nothing".[81]
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on 14 November arrested two men and one woman aged between 55 and 66 on suspicion of inciting others not to vote or to cast invalid votes by reposting online posts.[82] The National Security Department on 18 November arrested a 68-year-old local man for allegedly posting comments on social media encouraging people not to vote or cast invalid ballots in the election.[83] The ICAC on 20 November issued arrest warrants for exiled activists Alan Keung Ka-wai, who participated in the exiled pro-independence group Hong Kong Parliament, and Tong Wai-hung, protester who was acquitted of rioting charges in the 2019 Sheung Wan clashes, for allegedly inciting others not to vote in the election.[84]
The Office for Safeguarding National Security stated on 14 November some individuals both inside and outside had launched "various attacks, smears and slanders" against the election, "inciting people not to vote or to cast blank votes" and "deliberately damaging election campaign materials". It criticised "some anti-China and pro-chaos forces" with "evil nature" for attempting to weaken the legitimacy of the new electoral system and democratic development process, endanger Hong Kong's good governance and national security, adding that it firmly supported the Hong Kong government in cracking down on any interference and disruption.[82] It published another statement on 20 November accusing the "anti-China and pro-chaos" elements and external forces for their "unrepentant evil intentions" and "unyielding malice", vowing to defend election security and order with a "zero-tolerance" attitude.[85]
Asterisk denotes candidate that is seeking re-election.
Election Committee constituency (40 seats)
Twenty-four incumbents formed an informal pact with the eight candidates who are NPC or CPPCC members (Lau Ka-keung, Wong Kam-leung, Roy Chu, Ginny Man, Ngai Ming-tak, Andrew Fan, Thomas So, and Ma Kwong-yu), hoping to secure stronger support from the Election Committee members.[86][87]
2025 Legislative Council election: Election Committee
The sweeping change in the composition of the Legislative Council, with at least 40% to be first-time members,[46] is seen as the initiative by Beijing to replace the traditional establishment nurtured during colonial era, with younger and more disciplined loyalists, and "mainlanders" that would play along better.[33] The election also signaled a defeat for the "gangpiao" (Hong Kong drifters) and moderates, after three legislators from the former camp (Gary Zhang, Shang Hailong, and Wendy Hong) chose to serve only one term, and Third Side failed to gather enough nominations.[89] The new session would also be composed of more "national team" members, meaning managers from Chinese enterprises or state-run companies.[33] Separately, more than two dozens of NPC and CPPCC members joining the race at a time when more local elites were getting involved in national politics has resulted in a "revolving door" phenomenon.[47]
↑Labour constituency is not counted due to different voting system used. Vote percentage change is compared to traditional functional constituencies in the last election.
12345Political affiliation not declared on nomination form[88]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
8.07%
