District poll fight heats up

Growing political awareness and activism, along with the birth of new political parties, means Hong Kong is likely to face keenly contested district council elections in November.

Voters will elect 412 councillors, the largest number in the almost three decades since the district administration system was set up - and they will have more choice than ever in each seat.

Two major factors are driving the increase. First, the larger number of political parties fighting for representation means more candidates will be put forward. Second, for the first time, sitting district councillors will be eligible next year to contest five 'super seats' newly created in the Legislative Council's functional constituency for district councillors - a poll in which most of the city's three million registered voters (all those without a vote in any of the other 27 functional constituencies) - will be eligible to cast ballots.

The prospect of fierce competition is likely to see echoes of four years ago when The Frontier's Ricky Or Yiu-lam retained the Kwong Ming precinct in Tseung Kwan O from independent Simon Shi Hau-kit by just five votes.

This November's battle will highlight the increasing fragmentation of local politics.

In the past, there were two distinct political streams - the Beijing-loyalist bloc led by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, and the pan-democratic camp dominated by the Democratic Party - plus independents with, on paper at least, no political affiliation.

The public's growing political awareness has given rise to new groups. To the pan-democratic camp was added the Civic Party and the League of Social Democrats, who both contested the last polls in 2007. Since then, there has been People Power - an offshoot of the league - and the NeoDemocrats.