The Alliance for Universal Suffrage, which has been publicly criticised for making compromises with Beijing, will be indefinitely suspended, convenor Fung Wai-wah said last night.
In the meantime, the 12 members of the alliance will "without presumptions and burden" seek to form a new body with other pan-democrats on the matter of universal suffrage, Fung said.
The alliance was formed in 2010 by moderate democrats who advocated the "one person, two votes" system, under which voters who could not vote in any functional constituency could cast their ballot in a district council constituency.
But because the system, suggested by the Democratic Party, was a product of negotiations with the central government, the alliance has been shunned by the more radical democrats, coming under fire for entering into compromises with Beijing.
"By forming a new platform for the discussion on how to seek or achieve universal suffrage, we hope to start afresh," said Fung.
"We hope that more organisations and parties will join us after we shed the old burden," the convenor said.