Albert Ho exits, urging his party to face future

The atmosphere in the polling station at Lok Tsui constituency on Sunday was almost the same as that of four years ago - only the fate of Democrat Albert Ho Chun-yan was vastly different this time.

In 2011, he was facing a challenge from the pro-establishment camp through Shum Kam-tim, and from radical pan-democrats through People Power lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip, but he managed to secure his seat.

This time, a margin of more than 200 votes forced him to pass the seat he had held on Tuen Mun district council since 1999 to former Law Society president Junius Ho Kwan-yiu after Cheng Chung-tai of Civic Passion snatched 391 votes from the pro-democracy voter base.

He admitted failure and suggested the party must cope with the changing environment, noting many young colleagues had won but heavyweights like him had lost.

"The Democratic Party should give up the old thinking of sending famous people into the race," Ho, a veteran lawmaker and former party chairman, said. "The party should consider nominating more young people in the future."

The 63-year-old lawmaker had planned for a younger member of the party to take over his seat, but the emergence of a strong rival in Junius Ho scared candidates away, and the veteran eventually stood again.

Ho first crossed his paths with Tuen Mun in 1992, when his comrade from the United Democrats of Hong Kong, Ng Ming-yam, a district and legislative councillor based in the district, passed away.