2019 Hong Kong Local Elections
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The 2019 Hong Kong District Council elections were held on 24 November 2019 for all 18
District Councils of Hong Kong The district councils, formerly district boards until 1999, are the local councils for the 18 districts of Hong Kong. History Before establishment An early basis for the delivery of local services were the Kaifong associations, set up i ...
. 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 2019 widespread anti-extradition protests. All pro-Beijing parties suffered major setbacks and losses, including the flagship pro-Beijing party Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), which received its largest defeat in history, losing 96 seats. Executive Councillor Regina Ip's New People's Party failed to obtain a single seat, and was ousted from all District Councils as a result. Dozens of prominent pro-Beijing heavyweights lost their campaigns for re-election, including
Junius Ho Junius Ho Kwan-yiu (; born 4 June 1962) is a Hong Kong lawyer and politician who currently serves as a member in the Hong Kong Legislative Council. a prominent pro Beijing figure in Hong Kong’s political landscape, he formerly served as pre ...
, a controversial anti-protest figure who had expressed support for the triads behind the mob attack in Yuen Long on 21 July. In contrast, the
pro-democracy camp 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 L ...
in conjunction with the localist groups achieved its biggest landslide victory in the history of Hong Kong, gaining absolute majority in votes and electoral seats in all of the 18 District Councils and tripling their seats from around 124 to about 388. The pro-Beijing parties can only retain their control in one District Council due to their advantage in ''ex officio'' seats in such district council. Many pro-democracy candidates who actively participated in the protests were elected, including convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) Jimmy Sham. This election is described by some as potentially the last free election in Hong Kong, as the national security law and election overhaul imposed by Beijing vetted democrats before election. More than 70 per cent of elected District Councillors resigned or were disqualified over the following two years due to various reasons.


Boundary changes

In July 2017, following a review of the numbers of elected seats for each District Council having regard to local population forecasts, the
Electoral Affairs Commission The Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) is the body, established under the Electoral Affairs Commission Ordinance, that oversees electoral matters in Hong Kong. Its main functions include considering or reviewing the boundaries of Legisla ...
(EAC) proposed to create 21 new elected seats across 10 District Councils: # One new seat for each of Kowloon City,
Yau Tsim Mong Yau Tsim Mong District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong, located on the western part of Kowloon Peninsula. It is the core urban area of Kowloon. The district has the second highest population density of all districts, at . The 2016 ...
and
Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a town built on a bay in the western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite of Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged from the surrounding villages and fl ...
District Councils; # Two new seats for each of
Sham Shui Po Sham Shui Po is an area of Kowloon, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei (). It is located in and is the namesake of the Sham Shui P ...
,
Kwai Tsing Kwai Tsing is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It consists of two parts - Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Island. Kwai Tsing is part of the New Territories. It had a population of 520,572 in 2016. The district has the third least educated resid ...
,
Tuen Mun Tuen Mun or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the more re ...
and
Sai Kung Sai Kung may refer to: * Sai Kung Town, or just Sai Kung, a town and administrative area in the Sai Kung District, Hong Kong * Sai Kung Peninsula, a peninsula in Hong Kong * Sai Kung District, an administrative district in Hong Kong, which does no ...
District Councils; # Three new seats for each of Kwun Tong and
Sha Tin Sha Tin, also spelt Shatin, is a neighbourhood along Shing Mun River in the eastern New Territories, Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District. Sha Tin is one of the neighbourhoods of the Sha Tin New Town project. The ...
District Councils; and # Four new seats for the
Yuen Long District Council The Yuen Long District Council () is the district council for the Yuen Long District in Hong Kong. It is one of 18 such councils. The Yuen Long District currently consists of 45 members, of which the district is divided into 39 constituencies, ...
. Accordingly, the total number of elected seats for the 2019 elections increased by 21 from 431 to 452.


Gerrymandering concerns

Some pro-democracy District Councillors accused the EAC of
gerrymandering In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
, stating that the borders of their constituencies were altered "unreasonably" to adversely affect their parties' election prospects. EAC chairman
Barnabas Fung Barnabas Fung Wah, GBS (; born 1960) is a Hong Kong judge. He has served as a High Court Judge since 2006. Since 2016, Fung has served as a Panel Judge handling interception and surveillance authorisation requests from law enforcement agenc ...
responded that the changes were based purely on an objective calculation. "Factors with political implications would definitely not be taken into consideration," Fung said.


Background


Project Storm

In April 2017, Occupy Central co-founder
Benny Tai Benny Tai Yiu-ting (; born 12 July 1964) is a Hong Kong legal scholar, political figure, and democracy activist. He was an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong. From 2013, Tai launched and is known for his initiation of ...
proposed the "Project Storm" strategy to win the majority of the District Council seats for the pro-democrats in the coming election. He stated that by winning a majority of the some 400 District Council seats, the pro-democracy camp could gain an additional 117 seats of the District Council subsectors on the 1,200-member
Election Committee The Election Committee is a Hong Kong electoral college, the function of which is to select the Chief Executive (CE) and, since 2021, to elect 40 of the 90 members of the Legislative Council. Established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Hong ...
which elects the
Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
. Tai believed that by making it harder for Beijing to manipulate the Chief Executive election, it would compel Beijing to restart the stalled political reform after its restrictive proposal was voted down in 2015 in the aftermath of the Occupy protests.
Power for Democracy Power for Democracy (; PfD) was a pro-democracy political group in Hong Kong established by a group of pro-democracy activists in 2002. It worked mainly as a mediating platform for electoral coordination between the pro-democratic parties. It ...
, a group that coordinated different parties and groups in the pro-democracy camp, worked with pro-democrats to identify suitable candidates for all 452 constituencies. The group also held rounds of non-binding primaries to select a candidate if more than one pro-democrat was interested in running in the same constituency. However, the camp still risked doubling up in about 30 constituencies.


Anti-extradition bill protests

In mid 2019, the Carrie Lam administration pushed forward the
Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 The Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 () was a proposed bill regarding extradition to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance () in relation to special surrender arrangements a ...
to establish a mechanism that would allow the extradition of fugitives to any territory not covered by existing extradition treaties, including
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
,
Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
and
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
. The proposal's purported purpose was to fill a legal loophole that allowed a Hong Kong suspect involved in a homicide case not to be extradited to Taiwan in 2018. The proposed bill raised grave concerns from various sectors of society, including lawyers, journalists, businesses, as well as foreign governments, who feared the heightened risk that Hong Kong citizens, dissidents, and foreign nationals passing through the city could be sent for trial without safeguards of the local courts to Mainland Chinese courts under direct political control of the Communist Party. Starting from June, rounds of demonstrations were attended by hundreds of thousands of people. The government first suspended the bill, and later proposed the withdrawal of the bill in September, which officially took place in October. The
pro-Beijing The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp, pro-government camp or pro-China camp refers to a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Beijing central government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) t ...
parties, who were among the strongest advocates of the bill, worried that their support of the controversial bill as well as the abrupt U-turn would cost them votes in the upcoming District Council elections and the next year's Legislative Council election, risking a repeat of their devastating defeat in the 2003 District Council elections following the highly controversial national security legislation, which sparked massive protests across the city in 2003. There were also reports that the government was looking into the possibility of cancelling polls in areas where serious protests took place, or even postponing the elections altogether by invoking the
Emergency Regulations Ordinance The Emergency Regulations Ordinance () is a law of Hong Kong that confers on the Chief Executive in Council the power to make regulations on occasions that the Chief Executive believes to be an emergency or public danger. It was first introduced ...
. The election was widely seen as a referendum on Lam's government and in particular an indication of the measure of support for the protesters.


Registration drive

Registration drives are uncommon in Hong Kong, but promotion from campaigners led tens of thousands of new voters to register during mass protests against the controversial extradition bill, pouncing on an opportunity to bolster the democratic opposition's prospects in the upcoming elections. Over 386,000 newly registered electors were counted, an election cycle record turnout since the handover of Hong Kong. The number of registered voters between the ages of 18 and 35 jumped by more than 12 per cent compared to 2018. While the number of registered voters had been increasing steadily, large social movements and demonstrations have a tendency to galvanise registration. In 2004, 303,885 people had registered after half a million people took to the streets to protest against a government-proposed national security law criminalising "sedition", which was based on Article 23 of the Basic Law. In 2015, 262,633 people registered as voters after the 2014 Occupy protests. According to the
Registration and Electoral Office The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau is a ministerial-level policy bureaux of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for the implementation of the Basic Law, including electoral matters and promotion of equal opportunities and pr ...
(REO) under the EAC, the number of registered voters in the final registers for 2019 was 4,132,977, a record high since the handover of Hong Kong.


Nominations and disqualifications

An unprecedented 1,104 nomination forms were received by returning officers during the two-week nomination period from 4 to 17 October, although six nominees withdrew their candidatures before the end of the nomination period. It is the first time in Hong Kong's history that all 452 District Council seats were contested, compared to the previous elections in 2015 where 68 seats were left uncontested. At least four candidates, including
Tommy Cheung Sau-yin Tommy Cheung Sau-yin (; born 16 April 1994) is a Hong Kong activist and a former Yuen Long District Councillor. He is the former spokesman of Scholarism, president of the of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the standing committee of the ...
, Mo Kai-hong, Liu Qing of 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 Billy Chan Shiu-yeung of the Community Sha Tin movement received letters from returning officers asking them to explain what they meant when they said "
Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" (; also translated variously) is a slogan used by social movements in Hong Kong. The slogan was first used in 2016 by Hong Kong Indigenous spokesman Edward Leung as his campaign theme and slogan f ...
", a popular slogan that was frequently used in the anti-extradition protests. Two other hopefuls also received letters asking for their stance on
Hong Kong independence Hong Kong independence is a political movement that advocates the establishment of Hong Kong as an independent sovereign state. Hong Kong is one of two Special administrative regions of China (SAR) which enjoys a certain degree of autonomy ...
, including
Demosistō Demosisto (stylised Demosistō) () was a pro-democracy political organisation established on 10 April 2016 as a political party. It was led by Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow – former leaders of Scholarism, along with Nathan Law, former secre ...
secretary-general
Joshua Wong Joshua Wong Chi-fung (; born 13 October 1996) is a Hong Kong activist and politician. He served as secretary-general of the pro-democracy party Demosistō until it disbanded following the implementation of the Hong Kong national security la ...
, who planned to run for the South Horizons West constituency. Wong was asked if he was running on behalf of his party Demosistō and if he supported the notion of "self-determination" for Hong Kong.
Agnes Chow Agnes Chow Ting ( zh, t=周庭, born 3 December 1996) is a Hong Kong politician and social activist. She is a former member of the Standing Committee of Demosistō and former spokesperson of Scholarism. Her candidacy for the 2018 Hong Kong Is ...
, a member of Demosistō, was barred from running in the March 2018 Legislative Council by-election on the grounds that Demosistō advocated "self-determination".
Henry Wong Pak-yu Henry Wong Pak-yu ( zh, t=王百羽; born 15 February 1991) 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 ...
, who aimed for a seat in the Tin Heng constituency, was also questioned for his previous public pro-independence statements. Both Wongs denied they supported the Hong Kong independence movement. Political scientist Ma Ngok warned that any disqualification would only fuel the flames of the ongoing political crisis. In light of the risk of being disqualified, Joshua Wong and at least 12 other pro-democracy candidates, including former student leader
Lester Shum Lester Shum O-fai ( zh, t=岑敖暉; born 11 June 1993) is a Hong Kong social activist and politician. He was a leader of the 2014 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and served as deputy secretary-general of the Hong Kong Federation of Student ...
and pro-democracy legislator
Eddie Chu Eddie Chu Hoi-dick (; born 29 September 1977) is a Hong Kong social activist and politician. He is a member of the Local Action and founder of the Land Justice League which are involved in conservation and environmental movements. He is kno ...
, arranged for a backup candidate to stand in the same constituency before the nomination period ended, as their candidacy had not yet been confirmed by the Returning Officers. Chu was previously disqualified from running in the January rural representative election by Returning Officer Enoch Yuen Ka-lok, citing his stance of supporting "self-determination". More than ten days after the nomination period, acting Returning Officer Laura Liang Aron, who replaced Dorothy Ma Chau Pui-fun who took indefinite sick leave, barred Joshua Wong from running due to political reasons, making Wong the only pro-democrat to be disqualified due to his political stance in the election. Aron issued a six-page ruling noting that Wong dropped his advocacy of the option of independence as "a compromise, instead of a genuine intention" as Wong referred to
Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...
general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
's remarks on
separatism Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seeking greate ...
as a "stern threat" and reason for him and Demosistō to give up the advocacy of independence. Wong said the Returning Officer's decision showed that the central government was rigging the election, which was expected to be a key test of public sentiment about the protest movement. Kelvin Lam Ho-por, who stood in the same constituency, was widely believed to be Joshua Wong's substitute in case Wong was barred from running.


Pre-election events


November protests and university sieges

Over a hundred pro-democracy candidates launched an election rally at
Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...
on 2 November, citing the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance which allowed for election meetings to be held in public, following the police rejection of the organisers' initial demonstration application. Soon after the assembly started, the police quickly declared the rally an unauthorised assembly and dispersed attendees using means such as tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons. Three pro-democrat candidates, Osman Cheng Chung-hang, Richard Chan Chun-chit and Man Nim-chi, were seen being taken away by the police. During the operation, officers pepper-sprayed Chan to subdue him, prompting calls from rally-goers for his release. The protests continued with clashes emerging between the police and protesters, where protesters responded to the police crackdown by throwing petrol bombs, vandalising MTR stations and shops seen as sympathetic to the Beijing government, spraying graffiti on walls and building barricades on streets, and capping the 21st week of anti-government demonstrations. The Death of the 22-year-old university student Chow Tsz-lok inside a car park in
Tseung Kwan O Tseung Kwan O New Town is one of the nine new towns in Hong Kong, built mainly on reclaimed land in the northern half of Junk Bay (known as Tseung Kwan O in Chinese/Cantonese language) in southeastern New Territories, after which it is named ...
on 4 November further heightened the anger among protesters and escalated the protests. Some protesters initiated a city-wide strike called "Dawn Action" on 11 November onward in which protesters established roadblocks and disrupted train services. In the 11 November morning in
Sai Wan Ho Sai Wan Ho is a primarily residential area on the northeastern shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, between Quarry Bay and Shau Kei Wan. It is part of the Eastern District, and is administered together with surrounding areas under the Easte ...
, one 21-year-old protester in black was shot and fell on the ground unconscious once after approaching the policeman. The whole incident was recorded on stream and circulated quickly which sparked another round of anger among the protesters. The protesters began to occupy major university campuses, and shut down main roads of the
Tolo Highway Tolo Highway () is a major expressway on Route 9 in Hong Kong. It connects the new towns of Sha Tin and Tai Po in the eastern New Territories, forming part of the New Territories Circular Road. The highway, constructed in three stages betw ...
and
Cross-Harbour Tunnel The Cross-Harbour Tunnel (abbreviated ''CHT'' or ''XHT'') is the first tunnel in Hong Kong built underwater. It consists of two steel road tunnels each with two lanes constructed using the single shell immersed tube method. It is the earl ...
next to the
Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university and ...
(CUHK) and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) respectively. The police responded heavy-handedly by storming into the CUHK campus, which sparked the widespread protests in various parts of Hong Kong in an attempt to divert the police's attention. At least 119 students were injured during the three-day siege where the police fired a record 2,330 canisters of tear gas that day all over Hong Kong, in particular at the Chinese University – the highest number in a single day since the protests began in June. The protests rose to all-time peak when the police began to besiege the PolyU campus on 17 November, locking down the campus at night by surrounding the main entrances to the university, and thoroughly searched everyone, including journalists, who wanted to leave. The police force issued a warning that anyone remaining on campus may be treated as taking part in a riot. Protesters called upon supporters to "rescue" more than 500 people who remained at PolyU and were unable to leave. Thousands of people gathered on main roads in Kowloon on 18 November in solidarity with those who remained trapped at PolyU. The protesters engaged in intense clashes with the police where the police officers shot 1,458 canisters of tear gas at protesters as well as 1,391 rubber bullets, 325 bean bag rounds, and 256 sponge grenades in a single day. The conflict resulted in 1,377 protesters being arrested in one day, the highest number throughout the protests.


Physical attacks on candidates

Both pro-democrat and pro-Beijing candidates were physically attacked in the run-up to the election. In late September, Stanley Ho Wai-hong of the Labour Party, who was running in the
Pak Sha Wan Pak or PAK may refer to: Places * Pakistan (country code PAK) * Pak, Afghanistan * Pak Island, in the Admiralty Islands group of Papua New Guinea * Pak Tea House, a café in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan Arts and entertainment * PAK (band), an Ame ...
constituency, was attacked by four men dressed in white that were carrying metal rods. He suffered severe head injuries and several fractures to both of his hands. On 16 October, Jimmy Sham, the convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) and the candidate for the Lek Yuen constituency, was hospitalised after being attacked on Arran Street in Mong Kok by at least four men wielding hammers and spanners. Pro-democracy candidates Jocelyn Chau Hui-yan and Jannelle Rosalynne Leung, who were running for the
City Garden City Garden is a private housing estate in Fortress Hill, Hong Kong. It was built from 1983 to 1986 by Cheung Kong Holdings Limited. It consists of 14 blocks, each 28 storeys tall. Part of the site was occupied by the North Point Power Sta ...
and Yuet Wah constituencies respectively, were also attacked by pro-Beijing men. On 3 November, during a protest at
Cityplaza Cityplaza () is an office and shopping development, developed by Swire Properties, at 18 Taikoo Shing Road, Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong. It is adjacent to Taikoo Place, another office complex developed by Swire. The six-level shopping c ...
, the Democratic Party's
Andrew Chiu Andrew Chiu Ka-yin (; born 17 July 1985) is a Hong Kong politician, democracy activist, experienced accredited mediator and arbitrator. He is a member of the Democratic Party (Hong Kong), Democratic Party, strategy committee member of the Pr ...
, defending his Tai Koo Shing West seat, was stabbed by a pro-Beijing Mandarin-speaking male with a knife when he tried to stop a fight after the attacker had already assaulted several people. His left ear was partially bitten off by the attacker, and he was forced to undergo ear re-attachment surgery in hospital, which was ultimately unsuccessful. On the morning of 6 November, pro-Beijing Legislative Councillor
Junius Ho Junius Ho Kwan-yiu (; born 4 June 1962) is a Hong Kong lawyer and politician who currently serves as a member in the Hong Kong Legislative Council. a prominent pro Beijing figure in Hong Kong’s political landscape, he formerly served as pre ...
was also stabbed by a man with a knife while campaigning for re-election to the
Tuen Mun District Council The Tuen Mun District Council () is the District Council of Tuen Mun District, in the New Territories. It is one of 18 such councils. The Council consists of 32 members with 31 of those elected through first past the post system every four year ...
in his Lok Tsui constituency. The attacker shouted abusive expletives at Ho, accusing him of being involved in the mob attacks in Yuen Long on 21 July. Ho was stabbed in the chest and was hospitalised. Ho's assistant and the attacker were also injured by the knife before the attacker was arrested.


Fraud allegations


Alleged false claims of allegiance

There were several self-proclaimed pro-democrat candidates who were later found to be members of pro-Beijing groups and organisations, who contested the elections in the hope of snatching votes from legitimate pro-democracy candidates that were endorsed by the pro-democracy camp. For example, in the Tai Pat Tin East constituency, there was a minor candidate named Lau Hin-ming, who was ahead of the Democratic Party and Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) candidates. Lau used the "Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times" slogan in his electoral messages, but was eventually found to be a member of an executive committee belonging to the Federation of The Youth Power of Kwai Tsing, a sub-group of the pro-Beijing Federation of New Territories Youth. Some voters were found to have no knowledge about the candidates that they have nominated. For example, in the Lei Cheng Uk constituency, candidate Lam Ho-nam was ahead of Kong Kwai-sang from the pro-democratic
Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood 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 ...
(ADPL) and Chan Keng-chau from the pro-Beijing
Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong The Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) is a pro-business pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong. Chaired by Lo Wai-kwok, the party is currently the second-largest party in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, holding e ...
(BPA). However, a voter who nominated Lam claimed that he had never actually intended to nominate him. Instead, he signed an endorsement for Chan Keng-chau because he was a member of the Lei Cheng Uk Resident Association, while Chan has been the chairman of the association. Pro-democracy media sources allege that Chan had transferred the nomination to Lam, in the hope of decreasing the votes of Kong Kwai-sang, though no substantial proof was supplemented to this claim.


Jinan University's alleged misuse of personal information

''
Apple Daily ''Apple Daily'' ( zh, link=no, 蘋果日報) was a popular tabloid published in Hong Kong from 1995 to 2021. Founded by Jimmy Lai, it was one of the best-selling Chinese language newspapers in Hong Kong.
'' reported that they had received complaints from the students of
Jinan University Jinan University (JNU, ) is a public research university based in Guangzhou, China. "Jinan" literally means "reaching southward", indicating the university's original mission to disseminate Chinese learning and culture from North to South when ...
(located in China), who were requested by academic staff and counsellors to vote for pro-Beijing candidates, with them being promised free transportation if they do so. University staff members were able to locate the constituencies in which the students resided.


Alleged illegal transportation for voters

''Apple Daily'' also reported that Wong Yiu-chung, a pro-Beijing candidate from the BPA who was contesting the election for the Wah Lai constituency, had offered free coach rides to voters as an incentive to vote for him. The coaches were adorned with posters of Wong, and potentially constitutes an illegal election-related expense. ''
Stand News ''Stand News'' ( zh, t=立場新聞) was a free non-profit online news website based in Hong Kong from 2014 to 2021. Founded in December 2014, it was the successor of ''House News''. It primarily focused on social and political issues in Hong ...
'' reported that in the Fu Tai constituency, there were alleged voluntary coach services offered to elderly voters by pro-Beijing parties. Some voters reported the services were offered by Manwell Chan, a pro-Beijing
Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) is a pro-Beijing labour and political group established in 1948 in Hong Kong. It is the oldest and largest labour group in Hong Kong with over 420,000 members in 253 affiliates and associated ...
(FTU) candidate, and also stated that they were asked to vote for Chan in exchange for said ride, though no tangible proof could be found to support this claim .


Results

The elections to the District Councils of Hong Kong were held during the weekend, in which for the first time since the protests began, no outbreaks of violence were reported. As the District Councils are the only governmental body chosen by full universal suffrage, the election was widely described as a proxy referendum over the protest movement's demands. 2.94 million out of 4.13 million registered voters turned out to vote, including many first-time voters, representing a record turnout of over 71 per cent. The turnout was significant and some waited in line for more than an hour to cast their votes. More than 250 seats were flipped as the pro-democrats achieved their biggest victory in Hong Kong's history, gaining absolute majority in votes and electoral seats in all of the 18 District Councils of Hong Kong, tripling their number of seats from about 124 to around 388, and also gained the majority to capture 117 seats in the District Council subsectors of the next
Election Committee The Election Committee is a Hong Kong electoral college, the function of which is to select the Chief Executive (CE) and, since 2021, to elect 40 of the 90 members of the Legislative Council. Established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Hong ...
, which is vested with the power to elect the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. The pro-democracy camp's landslide victory seemingly disproved earlier claims by pro-Beijing politicians that they held the support of a "silent majority" of Hong Kongers. Parties belonging to the pro-Beijing camp and independents won 62 seats in the District Councils, with a loss of 242 seats. The main pro-Beijing party, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), received its largest defeat in history, losing nearly a hundred seats, while Regina Ip's New People's Party was completely eliminated from the District Councils. While DAB chairwoman
Starry Lee Starry Lee Wai-king, SBS, JP (, born 13 March 1974 in British Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong politician, chairperson of the largest pro-establishment Beijing-loyalist party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (D ...
narrowly managed to fend off her main pro-democracy challenger
Leung Kwok-hung Leung Kwok-hung ( zh, t=梁國雄; born 27 March 1956), also known by his nickname "Long Hair" (), is a Hong Kong politician and social activist. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, Legislative Council, representing the N ...
, several of her fellow pro-Beijing legislators, Junius Ho,
Horace Cheung Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, JP (, born 30 June 1974) is a Hong Kong solicitor and politician and the former vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest pro-Beijing party in Hong Kong. ...
,
Michael Tien Michael Tien Puk-sun (born 25 August 1950) is a Hong Kong politician, businessman and member of the Legislative Council for New Territories North West. He is the founder and chairman of the G2000 clothing retail chain and former chairman of ...
,
Holden Chow Holden Chow Ho-ding (; born 7 June 1979) is a Hong Kong solicitor and politician. He is vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest pro-Beijing camp, pro-Beijing party in Hong Kong, ...
, Lau Kwok-fan,
Luk Chung-hung Michael Luk Chung-hung (; born 21 September 1978) is a Hong Kong politician. He is a member of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) and the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB). He is also member of th ...
and Alice Mak, were ousted by relatively unknown new faces. Many pro-democrats who actively participated in the protests also scored victories. Jimmy Sham, convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, which organised June's million-strong peaceful marches, won a seat in Lek Yuen. Andrew Chiu of the Democratic Party, was re-elected in Tai Koo Shing West, while Jocelyn Chau, aged 23, who was also arrested on the campaign trail, defeated long-time pro-Beijing incumbent Hui Ching-on in City Garden. Richard Chan, dubbed as "airport uncle" by the press, who was pepper-sprayed in the face by riot police during the election rally held on 2 November and later arrested while campaigning, won his seat in the Lam Tsuen Valley constituency in
Tai Po Tai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui () (the original "Tai Po Market") on the north of Lam Tsu ...
. Other prominent pro-democratic activists, including Tommy Cheung Sau-yin, a former student leader who was among the nine Occupy activists convicted for public nuisance earlier that year for his part in the 2014
Umbrella Revolution A series of sit-in street protests, often called the Umbrella Revolution and sometimes used interchangeably with Umbrella Movement, or Occupy Movement, occurred in Hong Kong from 26 September to 15 December 2014. The protests began after th ...
, defeated incumbent Wilson Wong Wai-shun, who was seen with the attackers in Yuen Lung during the mob attack on 21 July. Another former student leader, Lester Shum, known for his involvements in the Umbrella Revolution, won in the Hoi Bun constituency in
Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a town built on a bay in the western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite of Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged from the surrounding villages and flee ...
. Kelvin Lam, Joshua Wong's last-minute substitute after he was barred from running, won a seat in South Horizons West.


Overview of outcome

Before election: Change in composition: , - ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" colspan=3 , Political Affiliation ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , Popular vote ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , % ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , % ± ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , Standing ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , Elected ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , ± , - , style="background-color:Moccasin;border-bottom-style:hidden;" rowspan="40", , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,
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 ...
, 362,275 , , 12.36 , , 1.20 , , 99 , , 91 , , 54 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Civic Party The Civic Party (CP) is a pro-democracy liberal political party in Hong Kong. It is currently chaired by barrister Alan Leong. The party was formed in 2006 on the basis of the Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group, which was derived from the ...
, 141,713 , , 4.83 , , 1.21 , , 36 , , 32 , , 20 , - , style="background-color: ", , style="text-align:left;" ,
Neo Democrats The Neo Democrats was a pro-democracy, localist political group in Hong Kong composed mainly of former and disenchanted members of the Democratic Party New Territories East branch after the 2012 constitutional reform proposals. It had held ...
, 87,923 , , 3.00 , , 0.08 , , 20 , , 19 , , 7 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood 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 ...
, 77,099 , , 2.63 , , 1.19 , , 21 , , 19 , , 7 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Power for Democracy Power for Democracy (; PfD) was a pro-democracy political group in Hong Kong established by a group of pro-democracy activists in 2002. It worked mainly as a mediating platform for electoral coordination between the pro-democratic parties. It ...
, 69,764 , , 2.38 , , 2.11 , , 22 , , 17 , , 13 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Team Chu Hoi Dick of New Territories West Team Chu Hoi-dick of New Territories West () was a pro-democracy political group based in New Territories West that existed between 2016 and 2021. In the 2019 District Council election, nine people from the group ran and seven were elected, bu ...
, 31,369 , , 1.07 , , - , , 9 , , 7 , , 7 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" , Labour Party , 28,036 , , 0.96 , , 0.60 , , 7 , , 7 , , 4 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Community Sha Tin , 25,509 , , 0.87 , , - , , 6 , , 5 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Tuen Mun Community Network , 20,086 , , 0.69 , , - , , 5 , , 4 , , 4 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Community Alliance Community Alliance () is a political alliance set up by a group of pro-democratic grassroots activists and community workers, many of whom are the former members of the Democratic Party. Mainly based in New Territories East, the group consists o ...
, 17,635 , , 0.60 , , - , , 5 , , 4 , , 3 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Neighbourhood and Worker's Service Centre The Neighbourhood and Worker's Service Centre (NWSC) is a pro-democracy political group in Hong Kong, holding one seat in the Legislative Council from 1995 to 1997, and since 1998. It was founded in 1985, with its roots in the New Youth Study S ...
, 16,176 , , 0.55 , , 0.56 , , 4 , , 4 , , 2 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Tin Shui Wai Connection , 15,998 , , 0.55 , , - , , 4 , , 4 , , 4 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Civic Passion 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 ...
, 14,326 , , 0.49 , , 0.28 , , 5 , , 2 , , 2 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Tai Po Democratic Alliance , 13,185 , , 0.45 , , - , , 4 , , 4 , , 4 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Community March Community March () was a district-based political group formed in late 2017 in Hong Kong by a group of pro-democracy camp, pro-democracy social activists. History Initiated by former chairwoman of the Labour Party (Hong Kong), Labour Party S ...
, 12,100 , , 0.41 , , - , , 5 , , 5 , , 5 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Tsz Wan Shan Constructive Power , 10,160 , , 0.35 , , - , , 2 , , 2 , , 2 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" , Democratic Alliance , 9,886 , , 0.34 , , 0.03 , , 3 , , 2 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Deliberation Tsuen Wan Deliberation Tsuen Wan ( zh, t=荃民議政) is a localist political group based in Tsuen Wan founded on 6 July 2019. In a historic pro-democracy landslide in 2019 District Council election, the group won two seats in the Tsuen Wan District Coun ...
, 9,516 , , 0.32 , , - , , 3 , , 2 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Action 18 Action 18 () is a Pro-democracy camp (Hong Kong), pro-democracy regional group operating in Yuen Long District, Hong Kong. The party fielded three candidates in the 2019 Hong Kong local elections, 2019 District Council election and won two seats i ...
, 9,006 , , 0.31 , , - , , 3 , , 2 , , 2 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Tseung Kwan O Pioneers , 8,989 , , 0.31 , , - , , 2 , , 2 , , 2 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,
League of Social Democrats The League of Social Democrats (LSD) is a social democratic party in Hong Kong. Chaired by Chan Po-ying, wife of Leung Kwok-hung, it positions itself as the radical wing of the pro-democracy camp and stresses on "street actions" and "parliame ...
, 8,384 , , 0.29 , , 0.16 , , 3 , , 2 , , 2 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Sai Kung Commons Sai Kung Commons () is a local political group based in Sai Kung founded in 2016. In a historic pro-democracy landslide in 2019 District Council election, the group won three seats in the Sai Kung District Council. History Sai Kung Commons was f ...
, 4,677 , , 0.16 , , - , , 2 , , 2 , , 2 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" ,
People Power "People Power" is a political term denoting the populist driving force of any social movement which invokes the authority of grassroots opinion and willpower, usually in opposition to that of conventionally organised corporate or political for ...
, 8,149 , , 0.28 , , - , , 2 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Empowering Hong Kong , 5,590 , , 0.19 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Fu Sun Generation , 5,486 , , 0.19 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , HTTH Environmental Concern Group , 5,389 , , 0.18 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , North District Blueprint , 5,288 , , 0.18 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Tsing Yi People , 4,727 , , 0.16 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Sha Tin Community Vision , 4,691 , , 0.16 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Luen Wo United , 4,491 , , 0.15 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Lung Mun Concern Group , 4,410 , , 0.15 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Cheung Sha Wan West Front , 4,281 , , 0.15 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Shau Kei Wan East Future , 4,204 , , 0.14 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Choi Hung Estate Social Service Association , 3,523 , , 0.12 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Cheung Sha Wan Community Establishment Power , 3,359 , , 0.11 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Unity of San Hui , 3,276 , , 0.11 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Tseung Kwan O Shining Tseung Kwan O Shining () is a local political group based in Sai Kung Town, Sai Kung and Tseung Kwan O founded in 2019. In a historic pro-democracy landslide in 2019 Hong Kong local elections, 2019 District Council election, the group won two seat ...
, 3,089 , , 0.11 , , - , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Tsuen Wan Community Network , 2,788 , , 0.10 , , 0.01 , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color:" , , style="text-align:left;" , Victoria Social Association , 2,640 , , 0.09 , , - , , 2 , , 1 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" , Independent democrats and others , 604,890 , , 20.63 , , - , , 226 , , 133 , , 100 , - style="background-color:Moccasin" , colspan=3 style="text-align:left;" , Total for pro-democracy camp, , 1,674,083 , , 57.10 , , 16.90 , , 515 , , 388 , , 265 , - , width=1px style="background-color:lightblue;border-bottom-style:hidden;" rowspan="11" , , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" , Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong , 492,042 , , 16.78 , , 4.61 , , 181 , , 21 , , 96 , - , style="background-color: ", , style="text-align:left;" ,
Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) is a pro-Beijing labour and political group established in 1948 in Hong Kong. It is the oldest and largest labour group in Hong Kong with over 420,000 members in 253 affiliates and associated ...
, 128,796 , , 4.39 , , 1.72 , , 43 , , 5 , , 21 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" , New People's Party , 79,975 , , 2.73 , , 2.51 , , 28 , , 0 , , 13 , - , style="background-color: ", , style="text-align:left;" ,
Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong The Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) is a pro-business pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong. Chaired by Lo Wai-kwok, the party is currently the second-largest party in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, holding e ...
, 66,504 , , 2.27 , , 0.37 , , 25 , , 3 , , 16 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,
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 ...
, 27,684 , , 0.94 , , 0.80 , , 11 , , 5 , , 3 , - , style="background-color: ", , style="text-align:left;" , Roundtable , 26,055 , , 0.89 , , - , , 12 , , 2 , , 5 , - , style="background-color:", , style="text-align:left;" ,
Federation of Public Housing Estates The Federation of Public Housing Estates () is a pro-Beijing camp, pro-Beijing organisation formed in 1985 by 11 community associations. It focuses on public housing in Hong Kong, public housing policies and caters to the interests of the resi ...
, 19,495 , , 0.66 , , 0.42 , , 7 , , 3 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Civil Force Civil Force () is a district-based pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong. Since 2014, the Civil Force has entered an alliance with the New People's Party of Regina Ip. Headed by chairman Pun Kwok-shan, it had its stronghold in the Sha Tin a ...
, 7,164 , , 0.24 , , - , , 3 , , 0 , , 2 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" , Kowloon West New Dynamic , 3,052 , , 0.10 , , 0.71 , , 2 , , 0 , , 0 , - , style="background-color: ", , style="text-align:left;" , Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions , 1,734 , , 0.06 , , 0.16 , , 1 , , 0 , , 1 , - , width=1px style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" , Pro-Beijing Independents , 380,529 , , 12.98 , , 3.70 , , 185 , , 23 , , 85 , - style="background-color:lightblue" , colspan=3 style="text-align:left;" , Total for pro-Beijing camp, , 1,233,030 , , 42.06 , , 12.55 , , 498 , , 62 , , , - , width=1px style="background-color:#DDDDDD" colspan=2 , , style="text-align:left;" , Non-aligned independents and others , 24,623 , , 0.83 , , - , , 77 , , 2 , , 1 , - , style="text-align:left;background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="3", Total , width="75" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 2,931,745 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 100.00 , style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", - , style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 1,090 , style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 452 , style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 21 , - , style="text-align:left;background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9", , - , style="text-align:left;background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="3", Total valid votes , width="75" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 2,931,745 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 99.59 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", - , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", Elected , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 452 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", - , - , style="text-align:left;background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="3", Invalid votes , width="75" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 12,097 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 0.41 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", - , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", ' , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 27 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", - , - , style="text-align:left;background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="3", Total votes / turnout , width="75" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 2,943,842 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 71.23 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", Total , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 479 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", - , - , style="text-align:left;background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="3", Registered voters , width="75" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 4,132,977 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 100.00 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 11.89 , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9" rowspan=1 colspan=5 , , - , style="text-align:left;background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="11",
Source
'


Results by district


Vote summary


Seat summary


Aftermath

Following the publication of the election results, DAB chairwoman Starry Lee submitted her resignation in light of the election results, but her resignation offer was rejected by the DAB's Central Committee, which stated they wanted Lee to stay and lead the party forward to face the coming challenges ahead of them. HKFTU legislator Alice Mak, who was unseated in her Wai Ying constituency, insisted that their electoral hammering was not their fault, instead blaming the "overall political environment". FTU president
Ng Chau-pei Stanley Ng Chau-pei (born February 1970) is a Hong Kong pro-Beijing politician and trade unionist and the incumbent President and former Chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU), the largest trade union in Hong Kong, and al ...
addressed the results by insisting the election was not a referendum on the government's strategy of "stopping violence". On 25 November, a day after the election, more than a hundred elected candidates gathered at the
Urban Council Centenary Garden The Urban Council Centenary Garden () is a public park in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It commemorates the centennial anniversary of the establishment of the Urban Council. The first phase of the park opened on 15 December 1983 with a c ...
near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) campus in solidarity with those who were still besieged by the police inside the campus. In the joint statement, the candidates said the election results had shown that Hong Kong people had not backed down in front of tyranny and police brutality and demanded the police to lift its week-long blockade. Chinese state media outlets tried to downplay the outcome of district elections in Hong Kong, which saw a landslide victory of the pro-democracy camp. According to
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, the state media's reaction ranged from making no reference whatsoever to the election results to overt claims that "electoral tampering" had occurred. The daily news program of state broadcaster
CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...
, ''
Xinwen Lianbo ''Xinwen Lianbo'' (, literally News Simulcast) is a daily news programme produced by China Central Television (CCTV), a state broadcaster. It is shown simultaneously by all local TV stations in mainland China, making it one of the world's most ...
'', remained silent on the results, accusing the US of electoral interference. The English-language version of the ''
China Daily ''China Daily'' () is an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. Overview ''China Daily'' has the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in China. T ...
'' newspaper announced that the elections were over, but did not reference the victory of the pro-democracy camp. Chief Executive
Carrie Lam Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ( Cheng; ; born 13 May 1957) is a retired Hong Kong politician who served as the 4th Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022. She served as Chief Secretary for Administration between 2012 and 2017 and Secr ...
said that her government would "listen humbly" and "seriously reflect" on views expressed at the election and would set up an independent review committee to look at cause of social unrest, modelling on Britain's response to the
2011 Tottenham riots The 2011 England riots, more widely known as the London riots, were a series of riots between 6 and 11 August 2011. Thousands of people rioted in cities and towns across England, which saw looting, arson, as well as mass deployment of police and ...
. To some, this fell short of the protesters' demand on an independent commission of inquiry. Shortly after the election, U.S. President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
signed the
Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 (HKHRDA)Naomi Xu ElegantThe U.S. Senate Passed 2 Bills Supporting Hong Kong Protesters. But They Might Do More Harm Than Good, ''Fortune'' (November 20, 2019). (; ) is a United States federal ...
which was previously passed overwhelmingly in the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
into law. In a joint statement by
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the senior United States senator from Florida, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Speaker of the Florida Hous ...
, the co-sponsor of the bill,
Jim Risch James Elroy Risch ( ; born May 3, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Idaho since 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as lieutenant governor of Idaho under governors Dirk Kem ...
,
Ben Cardin Benjamin Louis Cardin (born October 5, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Maryland, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was the U.S. representati ...
and
Bob Menendez Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006. Gale Biography In Context. A member of the Democratic Party, he was firs ...
, it states that "following last weekend's historic elections in Hong Kong that included record turnout, this new law could not be more timely in showing strong US support for Hong Kongers' long-cherished freedoms." The
State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...
's removal, on 4 January 2020, of
Wang Zhimin Wang Zhimin (; born 8 August 1957) is a Chinese politician, a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and vice president of the Central Institute for Party History and Literature Research. He was the Director of the ...
from his post as Director of the
Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (; abbr. LOCPG or 香港中聯辦) is the agency that represents the Chinese Central People's Government in Hong Kong. It replaced the New Ch ...
was widely seen as a response to his failure to advise the central government accurately about the vulnerability of pro-Beijing candidates at the election. This election is described by some media as potentially the last free and fair election in Hong Kong. Despite the democrats' landslide win, the national security law and election overhaul were imposed by Beijing in the next year, which significantly reduced the chance of democrats being elected as representatives through vetting. More than 70 per cent of elected District Councillors resigned or were disqualified for various reasons.


See also

* 2021 Hong Kong electoral changes * 2021 Hong Kong legislative election *
Postponement of the 2020 Hong Kong legislative election 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 Ordinan ...
* Public Offices (Candidacy and Taking Up Offices)(Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2021


References


External links


2019 District Council Ordinary Election Official Website

District Councils' Website

Electoral Affairs Commission Official Website
{{2019–2020 Hong Kong protests
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
November 2019 events in China 2019 elections in China 2019 in Hong Kong 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests