The inside track
1. One of the giant-killers in the election was Liberal rookie Joseph Chan Holim, who defeated Civic Party star lawmaker Tanya Chan in The Peak constituency in Central and Western district. It turns out that he had some powerful help: the Liberal Party?s honorary chairman, James Tien Peichun, said he made many phone calls to drum up support for the firsttime candidate, who defeated Tanya chan 1,505 votes to 820.
2. The defeat of veteran unionist Lee Cheuk-yan in Fu Yan, Yuen Long, surprised many observers. The Confederation of Trade Unions? lawmaker, and chairman of the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China was defeated by Lau Kwai-yung, 27, an election newcomer with the Beijing- loyalist Federation of Trade Unions. Lee polled 1,700 votes, almost 140 fewer than Lau, who has worked as a district councillor?s assistant for six years. She attributed the victory to people?s wish ?to be served by a full-time district councillor?, referring to Lee?s multiple political roles.
3. There was much talk about the pan-democrat vote being split by rivalry. But that is not what happened when prominent Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat lost his seat in Lai Wah, Kwai Tsing, to Chu Lai-ling, 32, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. Lee was challenged by People Power?s Raymond Chan Chi-chuen, who wanted to punish the Democrats for backing the government?s electoral reforms last year. But Chan was no spoiler: Lee would have lost even if he had received all Chan?s votes. Chu polled 1,923 votes and Lee 1,582; even with Chan?s 333 votes, Lee would still have come up eight short.
4. Andrew To Kwan-hang, who resigned yesterday as chairman of the radical League of Social Democrats, lost his Choi Yuen North seat in Wong Tai Sin after two decades. He said he would respect the voters? choice and review the league?s confrontational tactics. He lost to independent Roy Ting Chiwai by about 1,100 votes, a humiliating contrast to his 2007 winning margin of around 1,000 ballots. All 27 candidates from the league were defeated on Sunday.
5. Both the ballot ?queen? and ?king? - the victors with the biggest winning margins - were in the pro-government camp. Among female candidates, the most sweeping win went to Chan Yuen-han of the Federation of Trade Unions. She won by a whopping 3,456 votes in Lung Sheung, Wong Tai Sin, despite facing a double attack from the Democratic Party?s Ricky Lam Wai-kei and People Power?s Edward Yum Liang-hsien. Chan, a pro-Beijing veteran, is widely tipped to run for a ?super lawmaker? seat - one of five new seats under the district council functional constituency - in the citywide Legco election to be held in September next year. Ballot ?king? Lau Kwok-fan, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, won by the largest margin of the day - 4,791 votes - that he polled in Yan Shing, North district.
