Hong Kong’s new pro-democracy groups pose new problems for traditional pan-democrat camp
Young parties affect electoral arithmetic ahead of Legislative Council polls
The emergence of new political groups led by young activists is set to shake up the political landscape of Hong Kong, with traditional pan-democrats trying to lay the safest bet in the upcoming Legislative Council elections amid increasingly strong competition.
According to a tally by the Post, voters from the New Territories East in favour of pro-democracy candidates could choose from as many as 11 slates in September – compared to eight candidates four years ago – despite only nine seats being up for grabs.
A similar situation could be found in Kowloon East, where at least eight pro-democracy aspirants are in a fight for five seats – not to mention their strong counterparts from the Beijing-friendly camp, that won three of them in 2012.
Post-Occupy group Youngspiration and Demosisto, a party formed by student activists who co-led the sit-ins, have both pledged to field candidates in the September polls in a bid to bring their cause of advocating the city’s right to self-determination onto the agenda.
Pro-independence Hong Kong National Party and Hong Kong Indigenous, whose member Edward Leung Tin-kei secured about 16 per cent of votes in the February by-election in New Territories East, also plan to enter.