An election for the President of the

Legislative Council of Hong Kong The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LegCo) is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under China's " one country, two systems" constitutional arrangement, and is the power centre of Hong Kong ...

took place on 11 October 1995 for members to among themselves elect the new

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

. Andrew Wong was unopposed and took up the presidency until the

handover of Hong Kong Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the British Hong Kong, former colony. Hong Kong was establ ...

in 1997.

Election

Andrew Wong, independent, received the support of the largest faction in the council, the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, and some other independents. The rival

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

and some other independents were said to have lobbied the former

Secretary for Health and Welfare The Secretary for Health () is a ministerial position in the Hong Kong Government, who heads the Health Bureau. The current office holder is Lo Chung-mau. The position was created on 1 July 2022, following the reshuffle of the principal off ...

Elizabeth Wong Chien Chi-lien Elizabeth "Libby" Wong Chien Chi-lien (; ' Chien) is a former civil servant and politician from Hong Kong, born in Shanghai, China. Wong holds New Zealand citizenship, and is currently residing in Sydney. She is now a popular fiction writer. ...

, to compete for the presidency. Wong, however, preferred to run for the chairmanship of the powerful finance committee. At the end, the Clerk to the council received only one valid nomination for the office of President. Andrew Wong was proposed by

Martin Lee Martin Lee Chu-ming, SC, JP (; born 8 June 1938) is a Hong Kong politician and barrister. He is the founding chairman of the United Democrats of Hong Kong and its successor, the Democratic Party, Hong Kong's flagship pro-democracy party. He ...

, chairman of Democratic Party, and seconded by

Eric Li Eric Li Ka-Cheung (; born 23 May 1953) is an adjunct professor at the School of Accountancy of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the School of Business of Hong Kong Baptist University. He was formerly a member of the Hong Kong Legislati ...

Lee Cheuk-yan Lee Cheuk-yan (; born 12 February 1957 in Shanghai) is a Hong Kong politician and social activist. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong from 1995 to 2016, when he lost his seat. He represented the Kowloon West and the Manufac ...

, General Secretary of

CTU CTU may refer to: Schools * Can Tho University, Vietnam * Capitol Technology University, Maryland * Catholic Theological Union, Illinois * Cebu Technological University, Philippines * Chienkuo Technology University, Taiwan * Chilean Traditional Un ...

, and

Fung Kin-kee Frederick Fung Kin-kee, Silver Bauhinia Star, SBS, Justice of the peace, JP (; born 17 March 1953) is a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong from 1991 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2016 and the former chairman of the Pro-democracy c ...

, chairman of

ADPL The Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (ADPL) is a Hong Kong pro-democracy social-liberal political party catering to grassroots interest with a strong basis in Sham Shui Po. Established on 26 October 1986, it was one o ...

. Wong was then declared to be elected President of the council.

Reaction

After taking the chair, Wong said he is deeply honoured and particularly proud to preside over a Council which is facing challenging times ahead. He also announced he is resigning from government advisory committees as services in the Executive Branch will necessarily conflict with the neutral role as president. He also said he will represent members' views in his contacts with the administration, not be a go-between for the Government, and pledged not to take sides between political parties.

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...

said Wong is expected to be wholly impartial and independent of any party, and competition for the presidency could all too easily politicise it and undermine its impartiality.

References

{{Authority control Legislative Council of Hong Kong 1995 in Hong Kong President of the Hong Kong Legislative Council elections