Conservative lawyers’ good showing in Hong Kong Law Society election driven by proxy votes
Former governing council president rejects suggestion junior lawyers were pressured to hand over votes to their seniors to shore up establishment bloc’s chances
And while some argued that showed the mobilising power of the establishment bloc, a member of the council said it did not mean younger lawyers had been forced to hand their vote to their bosses’ favoured candidate.
Five seats with four-year terms were up for grabs on the governing council of the group, which represents Hong Kong solicitors, at its annual general meeting on Thursday night. Members could vote in person, by post or by proxy, meaning they authorise someone else to vote in their stead.
Three election newbies, Pierre Chan Tat-hin, Wong Hau-yan and Karen Lam, won seats. They were seen as favoured by the pro-Beijing camp, after a public endorsement by legislator Junius Ho Kwan-yiu. The three ended up grabbing 1,997, 1,994 and 1,990 votes respectively, proxy votes making up 74 per cent of their total. They all got about 1,480 proxy votes and 400 postal votes, with about 100 in-person votes.
It is quite surprising that the [pro-Beijing] camp has mobilised so many people. There was a surge in proxy compared with last year
The split was completely reversed for Eric Cheung Tat-ming, an outspoken legal scholar who has raised concerns about Beijing’s influence over Hong Kong’s legal system. Cheung took the last seat available, with 1,600 votes, including 135 proxy votes and 1,363 postal votes.
Brian Gilchrist, seen as a moderate, also won a seat.