Hong Kong elections: ‘majority support’ among Democratic Party members for Legislative Council boycott following Beijing’s system overhaul

Name: Hong Kong's revamped electoral system bolsters pro-Beijing influence in key decision-making bodies
Uploaded: 2021-09-22T14:32:43.000Z
Duration: 5 min 10 s
Description: Hong Kong's revamped electoral system bolsters pro-Beijing influence in key decision-making bodies

Pressure mounting as membership of city’s largest opposition party gears up for watershed decision this Sunday on whether to field Legco candidates

Broad support for a boycott reported in wake of Beijing’s ‘patriots’ principle, but chance remains of a ‘surprise’ outcome in secret ballot

Reading Time:3 minutes

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Hong Kong’s largest opposition party is set to make a landmark decision over its future on Sunday when members vote on whether to field candidates for December’s Legislative Council election. Photo: May Tse

Chris LauandJeffie Lam

Published: 10:32pm, 22 Sep 2021Updated: 1:28am, 23 Sep 2021

The rank and file of Hong Kong’s largest opposition party are mostly in favour of boycotting December’s Legislative Council election following Beijing’s overhaul of the system to ensure only “patriots” hold public office, according to members who spoke to the Post.

They said many of their Democratic Party peers saw no point in taking part in a system designed to reduce their influence, and would vote accordingly in a secret ballot on Sunday to decide, but there was still a chance of a “surprise” resolution to field candidates.

The party’s dire prospects were brought into sharp focus at the weekend when only one of two opposition-leaning candidates made it onto Hong Kong’s 1,500-member Election Committee in the first poll since Beijing’s shake-up of the electoral system. The powerful body has extensive new powers and will send 40 lawmakers, some or all of whom can be from its own ranks, directly to the legislature.

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Hong Kong's revamped electoral system bolsters pro-Beijing influence in key decision-making bodies

But the Democratic Party, which was founded in 1994, has come under immense pressure to put forward candidates. Pro-Beijing veteran Lo Man-tuen has warned that party management risked breaching the national security law if it barred its members from seeking election.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also called it “strange” that a political party would consider shunning elections.

Internally, those backing running for Legco have been making last-ditch efforts to win members’ support for engaging in the contest.

Former lawmaker and veteran member Fred Li Wah-ming is the latest to speak up ahead of the party vote – to be held at an extraordinary general meeting on Sunday – and has threatened to quit if a boycott is approved.

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