A survey taken after the district council elections shows party has broad appeal
The Democratic Party last night claimed to have recaptured middle-class hearts, with an internal survey finding that more than a third of the public believes the party represents this sector's interests.
The poll, carried out after the district council elections last month which saw the pro-democracy camp win a landslide victory, also found public support for the Democrats had returned to 1997 levels, before the party was split by infighting and a loss of direction.
Party chief Yeung Sum said the findings had reaffirmed the party's aim since he took over the chairmanship last year to move from the grassroots towards the centre-left.
'The level of support in the middle class was very encouraging and I believe our path of looking after the underprivileged while at the same time caring for the middle class is worth following,' he said.
He claimed that the improvement was also due to the party strengthening its research facilities and coming up with more constructive policy proposals.