Parts of this article (those related to The expected District council compositions after they are purged pursuant to the District Councils (Amendment) Ordinance 2023.) need to be updated.(July 2023) |
Politics and government of Hong Kong |
Related topics Hong Kongportal |
District council | |||||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 區 議會 | ||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 区议会 | ||||||||||||||
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The district councils,formerly district boards until 1999,are the local councils for the 18 districts of Hong Kong.
This section's factual accuracy is disputed .(December 2019) |
An early basis for the delivery of local services were the Kaifong associations, set up in 1949. However, by the 1960s, these had ceased to represent local interests, and so, in 1968, the government established the first local administrative structure with the city district offices, which were intended to enable it to mobilise support for its policies and programmes, such as in health and crime-reduction campaigns. An aim was also to monitor the grass roots, following the 1967 riots. [1]
Under the Community Involvement Plan, launched in the early 1970s, Hong Kong and Kowloon were divided into 74 areas, each of around 45,000 people. For each, an 'area committee' of twenty members was then appointed by the city district officers, and was comprised, for the first time, of members from all sectors of the local community, led by an unofficial member of the Legislative Council (Legco). The initial purpose was to help implement the 'Clean Hong Kong' campaign, by distributing publicity material to local people. This was held to be a success. [1]
A next stage in the government's effort to increase local engagement and influence was the setting up, in June 1973, of mutual aid committees (MACs) in high-rise residential buildings. These were described in Legco as "a group of responsible citizens, resident in the same multi-storey building who work together to solve common problems of cleanliness and security." In fact, they were tightly controlled by the government. With government encouragement, the number of such committees increased rapidly in these private buildings, from 1,214 in 1973 to 3,463 in 1980. The scheme was extended to public housing estates, of which 800 had MACs in 1980, as well as factories and in the New Territories. [1]
The next development was the establishment of eight district advisory boards in the districts of the New Territories, starting with Tsuen Wan in 1977. The boards, whose members were appointed, were more formally constituted than the city district boards, charged with advising on local matters, recommending minor district works, and conducting cultural and recreational activities.
Then in 1982, under the governorship of Sir Murray MacLehose, the district boards were established under the District Administration Scheme. The aim was to improve co-ordination of government activities in the provision of services and facilities at the district level and the boards initially took over the roles of the district advisory boards. [1] [2]
At first, the boards comprised only appointed members and government officials, but from 1982, a proportion of each was elected. [1] In an attempt to inject a democratic element into the Legislative Council, the government introduced a model where some legislators were elected indirectly by members of the district councils. Twelve legislators were returned by an 'electoral college' of district councillors in 1985. The practice was repeated in 1988 and 1995. [3]
After the HKSAR was established in 1997, as part of the "through train", the district boards became provisional district boards, composed of all the original members of the boards supplemented by others appointed by the chief executive. (Under the British administration, the Governor had refrained from appointing any member.)
Later in early 1999 a bill was passed in the Legislative Council providing mainly for the establishment, composition and functions of the District Councils, which would replace the Provisional District Boards. The 27 ex officio seats of Rural Committees, abolished by the colonial authorities, were reinstated. The government rejected any public survey or referendum on the issue, saying that it had been studying the issue since 1997, and had received 98 favourable submissions. The self-proclaimed pro-democracy camp dubbed the move "a setback to the pace of democracy" because it was a throwback to the colonial era. [4]
In 2010, the government proposed that five legislators be added to district council functional constituencies, and be elected by proportional representation of elected DC members. [5] In a politically controversial deal between the Democratic Party and the Beijing government, this was changed to allow the five seats to be elected by those members of the general electorate who did not otherwise have a functional constituency vote.
Under the district councillor appointment system, 102 district councillors out of 534 were picked by the Chief Executive, while the remainder were democratically elected by voters in each district. The system was abolished in 2013, and the new District Councils after the 2015 election no longer have appointed members.
In 2023, the government proposed to cut the direct elect seats of district councilors from 452 to 88 seats while the total seats cut from 479 to 470 seats. Besides, all district councilors candidate who opt for election must be vetted and passed by the new District Council Eligibility Review Committee. The proposal has been approved by Legislative Council in July 2023. [6] [7] [8]
The councils are mandated to advise the Government on the following:
District councils also undertake the following within the respective districts with its available funds allocated by the government:
There is a district council for each of the following eighteen districts. The number in parentheses corresponds to the number shown on the map at the right.
No. | District | Region | Seats | Population (2021) [9] |
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1 | Central and Western | Hong Kong Island | 20 | 235,953 |
2 | Eastern | 30 | 529,603 | |
3 | Southern | 20 | 263,278 | |
4 | Wan Chai | 10 | 166,695 | |
5 | Kowloon City | Kowloon | 20 | 410,634 |
6 | Kwun Tong | 40 | 673,166 | |
7 | Sham Shui Po | 20 | 431,090 | |
8 | Wong Tai Sin | 20 | 406,802 | |
9 | Yau Tsim Mong | 20 | 310,647 | |
10 | Islands | New Territories | 18 | 185,282 |
11 | Kwai Tsing | 32 | 495,798 | |
12 | North | 24 | 309,631 | |
13 | Sai Kung | 32 | 489,037 | |
14 | Sha Tin | 42 | 692,806 | |
15 | Tai Po | 22 | 316,470 | |
16 | Tsuen Wan | 22 | 320,094 | |
17 | Tuen Mun | 32 | 506,879 | |
18 | Yuen Long | 46 | 668,080 |
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Following revamp of District Councils announced by the Government in 2023, the number of the elected seats is significantly reduced to around 20%, while each of the 40 per cent of the seats will be returned by indirect elections and by revived government's appointment. Single non-transferable vote replaced "first past the post" system, as previously implemented in the 2021 reform.
Before the drastic change, there were a total of 479 district council members in the sixth District Councils. Except 27 ex-officio seats occupied by Chairmen of Rural Committees in the New Territories, all were returned by direct election.
District Councils are chaired by District Officers starting from 2024, and had been the case in the first three years of District Boards (name of District Councils before handover), i.e. between 1982 and 1985. Since 1985 and until 2023 chairmen of District Boards are elected from amongst the members.
Election | Term of office | Elected | Ex-officio | Electoral College [a] | Appointed | Overall | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rural Committee | Urban Council | Non- official | Official | |||||
1982 | 1982/4/1–85/3/31 | 132 | 27 | 30 | — | 134 | 167 | 490 |
1985 | 1985/4/1–88/3/31 | 237 | 27 | 30 | — | 132 | — | 426 |
1988 | 1988/4/1–91/3/31 | 264 | 27 | 30 | — | 141 | — | 462 |
1991 | 1991/4/1–94/9/30 | 274 | 27 | — | — | 140 | — | 441 |
1994 | 1994/10/1–97/6/30 | 346 | 27 | — | — | — | — | 373 |
(Prov.) | 1997/7/1–99/12/31 | — | — | — | — | 469 [b] | — | 469 |
1999 | 2000/1/1–03/12/31 | 390 | 27 | — | — | 102 | — | 519 |
2003 | 2004/1/1–07/12/31 | 400 | 27 | — | — | 102 | — | 529 |
2007 | 2008/1/1–11/12/31 | 405 | 27 | — | — | 102 | — | 534 |
2011 | 2012/1/1–15/12/31 | 412 | 27 | — | — | 68 | — | 507 |
2015 | 2016/1/1–19/12/31 | 431 | 27 | — | — | — | — | 458 |
2019 | 2020/1/1–23/12/31 | 452 | 27 | — | — | — | — | 479 |
2023 | 2024/1/1– | 88 | 27 | — | 176 | 179 | — | 470 |
Source: Review of the Roles, Functions and Composition
As of 2 January 2020:
Council/ Party | CW | WC | E | S | YTM | SSP | KC | WTS | KT | TW | TM | YL | N | TP | SK | ST | KWT | I | TOTAL | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 90 | |||||
Civic | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 32 | ||||||||||
ND | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 19 | |||||||||||||||
ADPL | 11 | 3 | 5 | 19 | |||||||||||||||||
CST | 8 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||
TCHD | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||
Labour | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |||||||||||||||
CGPLTKO | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||
CM | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
CA | 4 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
TMCN | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||
NWSC | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
TSWC | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||
TPDA | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
VSA | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Civ Passion | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
DA | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
DTW | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
TKOP | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
LSD | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
SKC | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
TKOS | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
PP | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
EHK | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
TYP | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
LMCG | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
CSWWF | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
CKWEF | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
TWCN | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
KEC | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
SK | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
CAP | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
TSWLPU | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
Ind & others | 5 | 8 | 19 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 147 | ||
Pro-democrats | 14 | 9 | 32 | 15 | 17 | 22 | 15 | 25 | 28 | 16 | 28 | 33 | 15 | 19 | 26 | 40 | 27 | 7 | 388 | ||
DAB | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 21 | ||||||||||
FTU | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||||
Liberal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||||
BPA | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
FPHE | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Roundtable | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Ind & others | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 48 | ||||||||
Pro-Beijing | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 89 | ||
Others | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Vacant | |||||||||||||||||||||
Councillors | 15 | 13 | 35 | 17 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 40 | 21 | 32 | 45 | 22 | 21 | 31 | 42 | 32 | 18 | 479 |
The party affiliations and politics in the Legislative Council can be echoed in the district councils, who have sometimes been accused of slavishly supporting the government. Professor Li Pang-kwong, of Lingnan University, says that the problematic framework of the councils, being under the Home Affairs Bureau, has led them to work too closely with the government. He cites the example of the "copy and paste" Queen's Pier motions passed by thirteen councils to support government decisions as a rubber-stamp, and a clear sign that councils lacked independence. Li recalled a similar government "consultation" on universal suffrage in 2007, in which two-thirds of the councils passed a vote in support of its position. After it was revealed that the government was behind the concerted district councils' motions in 2008 supporting the relocation of Queen's Pier, Albert Ho condemned the government for tampering with district councils to "create public opinion", and for turning district officers into propagandists. [10]
In 1999, Tung Chee Hwa appointed 100 members to the district councils. These included 41 from various political parties, namely the Liberal Party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), and the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance. No democrats were appointed. [11]
In 2003, Tung appointed 21 political party appointees to the district councils to dilute the influence of the pan-democrats as follows: [12]
Professor of politics and sociology at Lingnan University, Dr. Li Pang-kwong said "As in the past, most of the appointees were pro-government or persons without a clear political stance... ensur[ing] that no district council is in the hands of the democrats." [11] A spokesman for the democrats said the appointees "will have an unfair advantage in that they are getting financial support from the government which will help them run for office in future elections." [11] After this election, this election would abolish the appointed members of the Hong Kong district councils.
In December 2007, Donald Tsang named 27 government-appointed council members. [12]
Tsang was criticised for not appointing a single member of the pan-democrats in either 2003 or 2007. [12]
After the election, Donald Tsang appointed 68 members, none of them from the pan-democrat camp.
The Liberal Party (LP) is a pro-Beijing, pro-business, and conservative political party in Hong Kong. Led by Tommy Cheung and chaired by Peter Shiu, it holds four seats in the Legislative Council, and holds five seats in the District Councils.
The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) is a pro-Beijing political party registered since 1992 in Hong Kong. Chaired by Gary Chan and holding 13 Legislative Council seats, it is currently the largest party in the legislature and in terms of membership, far ahead of other parties. It has been a key supporting force to the SAR administration and the central government's policies on Hong Kong.
The Democratic Party (DP) is a liberal political party in Hong Kong. Chaired by Lo Kin-hei, it is the flagship party in the pro-democracy camp and currently has no elected representatives in the District Councils.
The Kwai Tsing District Council is the district council for the Kwai Tsing District in Hong Kong. It is one of 18 such councils. It currently consists of 32 members of which 6 are directly elected from the three constituencies of the district, 12 district committee members, 13 appointed members, and one ex-officio member who is the Tsing Yi Rural Committee chairman. The latest election was held on 10 December 2023.
Democratic reforms in Hong Kong did not seriously begin until 1984 and has faced significant challenges since 2014. The one country, two systems principle allows Hong Kong to enjoy high autonomy in all areas besides foreign relations and defence, which are responsibilities of the central government. Hong Kong's Basic Law allows residents to vote for local district councillors.
Starry Lee Wai-king, SBS, JP is a Hong Kong politician and former chairperson of the largest pro-establishment Beijing-loyalist party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB). She is a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC), Legislative Councillor for the Kowloon Central geographical constituency, and a former Kowloon City District Councillor. From 2012 to 2016, she was a member of the Executive Council.
Ip Kwok-him, GBM, GBS, JP is a former unofficial member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, served between 2016 and 2022. He is also former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for the District Council (First) functional constituency and Hong Kong delegate to the National People's Congress and the former convenor of the caucus of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) in the Legislative Council. He was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM) by the Hong Kong SAR Government in 2017.
The 1995 Hong Kong Legislative Council election for members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo) was held on 17 September 1995. It was the first, and only, fully elected legislative election in the colonial period before transferring Hong Kong's sovereignty to China two years later. The elections returned 20 members from directly elected geographical constituencies, 30 members from indirectly elected functional constituencies, and 10 members from elections committee constituency who were elected by all District Board members.
The 2007 Hong Kong District Council elections were held on 18 November 2007. Elections were held to all 18 districts of Hong Kong, returned 405 members from directly elected constituencies out of total 534 councils member. A total number of 886 candidates contesting in 364 seats, while 41 seats were uncontested. A total number of 1.4 million voters cast their ballots, consisting 38% of the electorate, significantly lower than the last elections in 2003.
The 1999 Hong Kong District Council elections were held on 28 November 1999 for all 18 districts of Hong Kong, for 390 members from directly elected constituencies out of total 519 council members. It was the first District Council election after the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, replacing the existing Provisional District Councils appointed by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa.
The 2003 Hong Kong District Council elections were held on 23 November 2003 for all 18 districts of Hong Kong, 400 members from directly elected constituencies out of total 529 council members. It was the second District Council election after the handover of Hong Kong in 1997.
The Central and Western District Council is the district council for the Central and Western District in Hong Kong. It is one of 18 such councils. The Central and Western District Council currently consists of 15 members, of which the district is divided into two constituencies, electing a total of 4 members, 8 district committee members, and 8 appointed members. The last election was held on 10 December 2023.
The Tsuen Wan District Council is the district council for the Tsuen Wan District in Hong Kong. It is one of 18 such councils. The Tsuen Wan District Council currently consists of 22 members, of which the district is divided into two constituencies, electing a total of 4 members, 8 district committee members, 8 appointed members, and 2 ex officio members who is the Tsuen Wan and Ma Wan rural committee chairmen. The latest election was held on 10 December 2023.
The Kowloon City District Council is the district council for the Kowloon City District in Hong Kong. It is one of 18 such councils. The Kowloon City District Council currently consists of 20 members, of which the district is divided into 2 constituencies, electing a total of 4 members, 8 district committee members, and 8 appointed members. The last election was held on 10 December 2023.
The Wong Tai Sin District Council is one of 18 such district councils in Hong Kong, representing the Wong Tai Sin District. The Wong Tai Sin District Council currently consists of 20 members, two members were each elected from one of 2 constituencies, 8 district committee members, and 8 appointed members. The latest election was held on 10 December 2023.
The Yau Tsim Mong District Council is the district council for the Yau Tsim Mong District in Hong Kong. It is one of 18 such councils. The Yau Tsim Mong District Council currently consists of 20 members, of which the district is divided into two constituencies, electing a total of 4 members, 8 district committee members, and 8 appointed members. It was merged from the Mong Kok District Board and Yau Tsim District Board in 1994 due to the significant drop of the population in the districts. The latest election was held on 10 December 2023.
The North District Council is one of the 18 Hong Kong district councils and represents the North District. It is one of 18 such councils. Consisting of 24 members, the district council is drawn from two constituencies, which elect 4 members, along with 8 district committee members, 8 appointed members, and four ex officio members who are the Ta Kwu Ling, Sheung Shui, Sha Tau Kok and Fanling rural committee chairmen. The latest election was held on 10 December 2023.
The Sha Tin District Council is the district council for the Sha Tin District in Hong Kong. It is one of 18 such councils. The Sha Tin District Council currently consists of 42 members, of which the district is divided into four constituencies, electing a total of 8 members, 16 district committee members, 17 appointed members, and one ex officio member who is the Sha Tin rural committee chairman. The latest election was held on 10 December 2023.
The 1994 Hong Kong District Board elections were held on 18 September 1994 for all 18 districts of Hong Kong and 346 members from directly elected constituencies. It was the last district-level elections in the colonial period before the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. It was the first elections to be held after the abolition of the appointed seats as proposed by the new electoral arrangements, as the last step of the democratisation by the then Governor Chris Patten before the handover.
The 2005 Hong Kong electoral reform was carried out in late 2005 for the selection of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong (CE) in 2007 and Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo) in 2008. The reform proposals were ultimately voted down by the pro-democracy camp.
hong kong districts toothless OR powerless., from p140