HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s legislative elections, held on December 7, delivered several upsets and high-profile victories, with final results confirming new faces and established figures across the geographic, functional, and Election Committee constituencies. Voter participation in the geographical constituencies saw a slight increase, reaching 31.90%, involving over 1.3 million voters during the extended 16-hour voting period that concluded at 11:30 p.m. local time. The results highlight shifting political dynamics and underscore the new composition of the city’s legislature.
The December 7 polls, which saw a 1.7 percentage point increase in geographical turnout compared to the last election, featured intense competition, particularly in local districts and certain functional sectors. The Election Affairs Commission Chairman, Raymond Luk Kui-hong, confirmed the smooth counting process and noted that despite challenges, including an early fire affecting some polling stations in Tai Po, turnout in those areas mirrored the overall average.
Geographical Seats See High-Profile Challenges
Competition in the geographical constituencies yielded notable “vote getters” and surprising defeats for incumbents. Deng Jia-biao of the Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) secured the most votes regionally, becoming the “king of votes” with 53,675 ballots in Kowloon East and retaining his seat. Similarly, Regina Fun of the Professional Dynamic party was crowned the “queen of votes” after successfully stepping into the Legislative Council (LegCo) for the first time, achieving a massive 58,828 votes in New Territories Southeast.
However, several long-serving incumbents failed to secure re-election. In Kowloon East, pro-establishment stalwart Holden Chow was defeated despite his Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) affiliation. Another significant upset occurred in Hong Kong Island West, where FTU’s Kwok Wai-keung lost his seat to DAB’s Chan Hok-fung and New People’s Party’s Judy Chan Hoi-yu.
Other key direct election outcomes include:
- New Territories Southwest: FTU’s Chan Wing-yan and Kwok Fu-yung both secured seats.
- Hong Kong Island East: FTU’s Kingsley Wong and DAB’s Judy Tsz-ching successfully edged out opponents.
- New Territories Northeast: DAB’s Gary Chan Hak-kan and New People’s Party’s Dominic Lee Tsz-king both retained their seats.
Functional Constituencies Experience Tight Races and New Entrants
The functional constituencies, representing specific professional and economic sectors, saw multiple razor-thin margins. A major surprise unfolded in the Accountancy sector, where challenger Ng Kam-wah defeated incumbent DAB member Dickie Wong Chun-sing by a small margin, marking him as a high-profile “dark horse” winner. In the Fisheries and Agriculture sector, Chan Pok-chi narrowly beat his opponent by just three votes (82 to 79).
Perhaps the most recognized newcomer was fencing champion Vivian Kong Man-wai in the Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication sector. Kong, competing for the first time in LegCo, won decisively with 131 votes, overwhelming her rival. Elsewhere, Andrew Lam Siu-hung won the Legal sector, while architect Anthony Wu secured the Architecture, Surveying, Planning, and Landscape seat.
Election Committee Category Sets the Tone
The 40 seats allocated via the revamped Election Committee constituency confirmed the dominance of pro-establishment parties. Twenty-four incumbent LegCo members successfully returned via this route, alongside several high-profile transferees and first-time successful candidates.
Yiu Pak-leung, who transitioned from a different constituency, emerged as the category’s top vote-getter with 1,397 votes, while incumbent Eunice Yung Hoi-yan was the top female candidate with 1,386 votes. The DAB successfully fielded all eight of its candidates, including Ben Chan Han-pan and Elizabeth Quat. However, the FTU saw mixed success, with two vice-presidents failing to win seats, despite victories for Wong Kwok and Leung Tsz-ying.
New faces entering LegCo through the Election Committee include National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference member Fan Chun-wah, businessman Kevin Chong, and former police association chairman Chan Cho-kwong, underscoring the shift in the legislative body’s composition toward figures with strong establishment and mainland ties.
Looking ahead, the new composition of the Legislative Council, shaped by these victories and defeats across all three streams, will define Hong Kong’s legislative priorities and governance framework for the coming term. The electoral results confirm the growing consolidation of political authority within the modified electoral system.
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