The current election laws are considered by many other nations and NGOs to be neither free nor fair.[2][3][4] Only pro-Beijing "patriots" are allowed to run, the majority of opposition pan-democratic members were banned, jailed, or forced into exile. Virtually all opposition parties were intimidated into dissolving by the government and the police.[5] Only 20 of the Council's 90 seats are directly elected, with the remaining 70 indirectly elected by selected groups of professionals and corporate representatives, resulting in a disproportionate two-tier democracy and very limited popular representation.
Background
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.[6]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,[7] 16 of those were approved without a quorum,[8] prompting concerns of LegCo members' performance.[9]Andrew Leung, President of the Legislative Council, denied claims that the chamber rubber-stamped bills and defended it as highly efficient.[10] 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.[11]
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.[12]
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.[13] 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.[14] 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".[15] 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.[16]
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.[17] 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.[3][4]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. The businessmen also reportedly trusted the new chamber would not be undermined when "anti-China" opposition voices would remain extra-parliamentary by the vetting committee.[5]Third Side, the only self-claimed moderate group in the Legislative Council, and Path of Democracy, an extraparliamentary moderate group, expressed the hope that an electoral reform would be initiated by the government in due course.[18] However, it was speculated that the moderates would also be barred from legislative races as they are "no longer needed in a patriotic administration".[19]
Retiring incumbents
Prior to the election, media reported that as many as one-third of the 89 incumbents "may not be able to stay", as legislators that had an unsatisfactory performance would not be approved by the Chinese authorities for a new term. Senior officials of the government also had reportedly submitted a report on the performances of members, which could play a role in Chief Executive's decision.[20] It was expected that those implicated in rumoured sex scandals or other reported misconduct could be barred from running again.[21][22]
Media had also speculated whether lawmakers aged 70 or above would be able to stay in the LegCo.[23]Andrew Leung, who served as president of the legislature for nine years, made a surprise announcement on 29 September that he would stand down from the legislature, citing his age and his family. 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.[24] Possible successors for the presidency include Starry Lee and Chan Chun-ying.[25]Ma Fung-kwok, 70, announced his retirement on the same day as Leung, also citing his age.[25]
Two veteran legislators, 76-year-old Liberal Party leaderTommy 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.[26] 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.[27] More lawmakers dropped out in the next few days, including 72-year-old Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong chairman Lo Wai-kwok,[28] pro-Beijing camp's unofficial convenor Martin Liao, aged 68,[29] and Roundtable convener Michael Tien.[30] Outspoken lawmakers such as Doreen Kong opted to stand down as well, and dismissed claims that she was forced to do so.[31] 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.[32]
As a result, 35 incumbent legislators did not seek re-election, more than half having served only one term.[33] The unusually large 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. 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.[29] Lee added the generational succession is a positive sign for the Legislative Council.[34] 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.[35] A farewell banquet for LegCo members and John Lee was also cancelled.[36]
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.[43][44]
Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA): BPA sent fourteen candidates into the election, including four seeking re-election. Another four would run in direct elections as the party eyes for a breakthrough. The party endorsed five candidates to run in the four functional constituencies held by the retiring veterans, including Commercial (First) constituency where two candidates from BPA would compete to succeed Andrew Leung.[46]
Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU): All seven current legislators are seeking another term, the only major party with no serving members quitting the legislature. Along with the nine new faces, FTU is putting forward 16 candidates in total, with 9 in direct elections, 3 in functional constituencies, and 4 in Election Committee constituency.[47]
Liberal Party: 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 Transport constituency since its creation in 1998, after not endorsing any candidate to succeed Frankie Yick.[48]
New People's Party (NPP) and Civil Force (CF): NPP planned to field eight candidates, including five newcomers vying for seats in direct elections. Incumbent Judy Chan is switching to Hong Kong Island West from Election Committee constituency in order to hold Ip's seat.[32]
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.[30]
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 functional constituency of Tourism after her foreign residency barred her to run in direct elections.[51] Kong denied reports that she had considered making a bid in direct elections,[52] and confirmed that she had applied to give up her Canadian passport.[53]
The only moderate political party with 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,[54] but decided to run in one constituency only as the party fails to gather sufficient resources for the races.[27] Its 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.[55]
The following candidates stood in a constituency different from that elected in 2021.
The previous Legislative Council election recorded a historic low turnout of 30.2% despite widespread campaign. 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 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.[56][57][58]Erick Tsang, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, said the government does not have a benchmark for the turnout.[59]
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.
