Hong Kong announced the final results of its expansive legislative elections held on December 7, marking the conclusion of a significant 16-hour voting period. The city’s restructured Legislative Council (LegCo) saw deputies elected across geographical constituencies, functional constituencies, and the powerful Election Committee sector. Initial figures confirmed a voter turnout of 31.90% for geographical directly elected seats—a marginal increase of 1.7 percentage points from the previous general election.
Over 1.3 million registered voters participated in the polls, which ran from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. local time. The diverse results reflect shifts in political alignments and introduce a significant number of newcomers to the legislature, alongside established veterans.
Geographical Seats See Pro-Establishment Sweep
Early vote counts confirmed the strong performance of pro-establishment parties in the revamped geographical constituencies. In New Territories Northeast, incumbents Dominic Lee of the New People’s Party and Kenneth Lau of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) secured early leads and ultimately prevailed. Both candidates amassed over 30,000 votes, cementing their dominance in the region.
Meanwhile, the New Territories Southeast race was led by Regina Ip of the New People’s Party, a perennial candidate, who secured roughly 40,000 votes, significantly ahead of her nearest competitor, Gary Yip of the DAB. In what analysts view as a relative setback, the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) trailed in several key geographical areas, including the races involving Kwok Wai-keung in Hong Kong West and Luk Chung-hung in New Territories Northwest.
In the hotly contested Kowloon Central constituency, National People’s Congress Standing Committee member Starry Lee of the DAB commanded a strong lead with over 19,000 votes. The battle for the second seat in that region was tight, highlighting isolated competitive pockets despite the overall shift toward unconstrained candidates.
Election Committee Sector Dominates Headline Results
The 40 seats allocated via the Election Committee proved pivotal in shaping the new LegCo. Of these seats, 24 sitting legislators successfully navigated the switch to this new election mechanism. Yiu Pak-leung, who transitioned from a directly elected role, emerged as the “votecount king” for this sector, securing 1,397 votes. Following closely was incumbent legislator Eunice Yung—the “votecount queen”—with 1,386 votes.
The DAB celebrated a clean sweep in the Election Committee races, successfully electing all eight of its candidates, including party heavyweights such as Chan Han-pan and Elizabeth Quat. In contrast, the FTU saw mixed results; while Wong Kwok and Leung Tsz-wing were elected, two vice-chairmen, Ma Kwong-kwan and Tsang Chi-man, narrowly failed to secure seats.
Several first-time members from diverse professional backgrounds joined the Legislative Council via this channel, including businessman Jonathan Fan, hotel executive Jeffrey Chan, and former Commissioner of Police Chan Cho-kwong.
Electoral Commission Defends Extended Polling Hours
Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) Chairman Barnabas Luk addressed the media early Monday, confirming that the overall counting process was progressing smoothly and within anticipated timelines. Responding to questions regarding the extended polling period—which saw voting continue until 11:30 p.m.—Luk defended the measure as a convenience for the public rather than an attempt to artificially boost turnout metrics.
“We offer convenience, but ultimately, those who do not wish to vote will not vote, even if we were open for 24 hours,” Luk stated, suggesting the EAC would later review the fiscal and operational efficacy of the extended hours. He also noted that turnout rates remained consistent across polling stations, including three that had been affected by a major fire in Tai Po, indicating minimal disruption to the overall democratic process.
The functional constituencies also completed their counts, confirming victors in various professional and special interest groups, including finance, labor, and technology sectors. Notably, the Commercial (Third) sector, the Innovation and Technology sector, and the Fisheries and Agriculture sector recorded the highest turnout rates among the functional groups.
The newly formed Legislative Council is poised to begin its term next month, facing a substantial agenda that includes balancing economic recovery with constitutional development under the city’s new political framework.
Leave a Reply