2023 Hong Kong local elections

The 2023 Hong Kong District Council elections are scheduled on 10 December 2023 for all 18 District Councils of Hong Kong.[2] They will be the first local elections after the passage of the national security law, as well as the 2021 and 2023 electoral changes.

2023 Hong Kong local elections
10 December 2023
All Elected Constituencies
264 (of the 470) seats in all Districts Councils
Registered4,329,710[1] Increase4.76%
 
Leader Gary Chan Lo Kin-hei Bruce Liu
Party DAB Democratic ADPL
Alliance Pro-Beijing Pro-democracy Pro-democracy
Last election 21 seats, 16.78% 91 seats, 12.36% 19 seats, 2.63%
Current seats 21 7 6
 
Leader Ng Chau-pei Tommy Cheung Lo Wai-kwok
Party FTU Liberal BPA
Alliance Pro-Beijing Pro-Beijing Pro-Beijing
Last election 5 seats, 4.39% 5 seats, 0.94% 3 seats, 2.27%
Current seats 5 5 3 (directly elected)

Background
Main article: 2019 Hong Kong local elections

In May 2021, the Hong Kong government passed the Public Offices (Candidacy and Taking Up Offices) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2021 to imposes oath-taking requirements on District Council members. Six months before the bill passage, dozens of opposition District Councillors resigned for refusal to take an oath under the new law.[3]

In early July 2021, the government reportedly considered banning 230 councillors to take oath of office and would ask them return their accrued salaries which worth around a million dollars. Such reports triggered a mass resignation of more than 260 pro-democracy councillors, while eight other had been unseated as they were in custody or had left the city.[4]

Following four oath-taking ceremonies starting in early September, oaths taken by 49 District Councillors were ruled invalid without any explanation. Together with the councillors who resigned, fled and imprisoned, it left a total of more than 70 per cent seats in the 18 District Councils vacant. Under the amended Oaths and Declarations Ordinance, the disqualified District Councillors would be banned from standing in elections for the next five years.[5]

The pro-Beijing camp was able to take back control of several councils, including Kowloon City, Kwun Tong, Wan Chai and North District.[6] The number of the members in some councils also reduced significantly, Wong Tai Sin to just two members, Central and Western District to three members, and Southern District to four, which paralysed some of the functions of these councils.[7] Nevertheless, Chief Executive Carrie Lam in July 2021 announced that no by-election would be held during her tenure.[8]

Election overhaul
Main article: 2023 Hong Kong electoral changes
Changes to the composition of the District Councils:
2019 election (479 seats)
  •   Directly elected (452)
  •   Ex-officio (Chairmen of Rural Committee) (27)
2023 election (470 seats)
  •   Directly elected (88)
  •   Ex-officio (Chairmen of Rural Committee) (27)
  •   Indirectly elected (Electoral College of "Three Committees") (176)
  •   Appointed (179)

On 2 May 2023, Chief Executive John Lee announced a major revamp of the District Council electoral system to prevent the councils from being "manipulated and paralysed" by those promoting "separatism" and violence, safeguard national security and implement the principle of "patriots running Hong Kong". Under the plan, the number of the elected seats will be significantly reduced to around 20 per cent, while each of the 40 per cent of the seats will be returned by indirect elections and appointed by the Chief Executive.[9]

A total of 88 directly-elected seats in 44 constituencies will be returned by double-seat single-vote system, while 176 indirectly-elected seats will be elected by members of the government-appointed "three committees", namely the District Fight Crime Committees (DFCCs), the District Fire Safety Committees (DFSCs), the Area Committees (ACs), in the respective district by block vote. All candidates must obtain three nominations from each of the three committees besides more than 50 local voters and confirm their eligibility through an eligibility review committee to decide whether a candidate complies with the legal requirements and conditions of upholding the Basic Law and bearing allegiance to the government.[10]

The pro-democracy parties which intended to run raised concerns over difficulties in seeking nominations from the members of the "three committees", many of which came from the pro-Beijing parties, as the Home Affairs Department refused to disclose personal contact details citing the "privacy of personal data".[11] Even pro-Beijing legislator Michael Tien complained about candidates from his party Roundtable being unable to obtain nominations from the "three committees" members.[12]

On 28 September, David Lok Kai-hong, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC), said the opening hours for the District Council elections will run from 8:30a.m. to 10:30p.m., an hour less when compared to the previous term in 2019 but the same as that of the Legislative Council election in 2021.[13]

Constituencies
Districts Geographical Constituencies
Constituencies Seats
Central and Western Central, Western 2
Wan Chai Wan Chai 1
Eastern Tai Pak, Hong Wan, Chai Wan 3
Southern Southern District Southeast, Southern District Northwest 2
Yau Tsim Mong Yau Tsim Mong South, Yau Tsim Mong North 2
Sham Shui Po Sham Shui Po West, Sham Shui Po East 2
Kowloon City Kowloon City North, Kowloon City South 2
Wong Tai Sin Wong Tai Sin East, Wong Tai Sin West 2
Kwun Tong Kwun Tong Southeast, Kwun Tong Central, Kwun Tong North, Kwun Tong West 4
Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan Northwest, Tsuen Wan Southeast 2
Tuen Mun Tuen Mun East, Tuen Mun West, Tuen Mun North 3
Yuen Long Yuen Long Town Centre, Yuen Long Rural East, Tin Shui Wai South and Ping Ha, Tin Shui Wai North 4
North Wu Tip Shan, Robin's Nest 2
Tai Po Tai Po South, Tai Po North 2
Sai Kung Sai Kung and Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O South, Tseung Kwan O North 3
Sha Tin Sha Tin West, Sha Tin East, Sha Tin South, Sha Tin North 4
Kwai Tsing Tsing Yi, Kwai Chung East, Kwai Chung West 3
Islands Islands 1

Contesting parties

Pro-Beijing camp

Pro-democracy camp

Unaligned
  • Third Side: The only non-establishment party in the legislature abandoned the campaign as 3 hopefuls lack funding or nomination.

References
  1. "Voter Registration Statistics". Registration and Electoral Office.
  2. "區議會選舉12月10日舉行". 香港政府新聞網. 2023-07-24.
  3. "全港區議員快要宣誓 逾30人已辭職或表明拒誓 但民主派主導區議會形勢不變". 法廣. 2021-05-13.
  4. "Hong Kong's remaining district councillors must take oaths of loyalty to gov't from Fri". Hong Kong Free Press. 7 September 2021.
  5. "16 more Hong Kong democratically-elected district councillors ousted over loyalty oaths, as democrats left in the minority". Hong Kong Free Press. 21 October 2021.
  6. "【專欄】區議員辭職逾230人已近「達標」". 星島日報. 2021-07-14.
  7. "區議會辭職潮後　11區50會議無法召開　形同停擺". on.cc. 2021-09-06.
  8. "【國安時代】林鄭月娥表明今屆政府不補選區議會　被問移民潮稱香港前境很好". 自由亞洲電台. 2021-07-20.
  9. "Hong Kong's district councils to be chaired by government officials, hopefuls seeking fewer directly elected seats to undergo vetting". South China Morning Post. 2 May 2023.
  10. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BRIEF - IMPROVING GOVERNANCE AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL (PDF). Legislative Council of Hong Kong. 2 May 2023.
  11. "Hong Kong gov't slammed for refusing to disclose details of nominating parties ahead of 'patriots' District Council race". Hong Kong Free Press. 9 October 2023.
  12. "田北辰呻冇「三會」提名 葉劉淑儀：其實佢可以過嚟搵我哋". 獨立媒體. 2023-10-20.
  13. "Voting time for coming District Council elections shortened by an hour". The Standard. 28 September 2023.
  14. "民建聯公布122人區議會參選名單". RTHK. 2023-10-16.
  15. "區選提名期展開 邵家輝冀各方努力讓更多人在區選投票". Yahoo News (in Chinese). 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  16. "勞聯派2人參選老巢深水埗 一人戰元朗間選". 獨立媒體. 2023-10-20.
  17. "【區議會選舉】香港新方向5人參選 前公民黨李煒林不入名單稱「仲觀望緊」". 獨立媒體. 2023-10-12.
  18. "新民黨拒提名實政圓桌 田北辰稱食兩次檸檬 形容事件是鬧劇". Inmedia. 2023-10-26.
  19. 潘耀昇 (2023-10-12). "區議會選舉｜紫荊黨擬派人參選區議會 「海歸派」首戰本港選舉". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  20. "Hong Kong's Democratic Party fields fewer-than-expected candidates for coming polls". South China Morning Post. 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  21. "Hong Kong Democratic Party endorses 8 candidates for first 'patriots-only' district council election". Hong Kong Free Press. 21 September 2023.
  22. "Hong Kong opposition parties struggle for district council poll support". South China Morning Post. 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
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