Politics

Earning her nickname “Ne Zha”, the little fire prince in Chinese folklore, from a role she played as a young actress nearly four decades ago, Hong Kong district councillor Christine Fong Kwok-shan has forged her political career with every bit of feistiness and stubbornness found in the mythical character.Her persistence has finally paid off, as the 59-year-old won her bid for a Legislative Council seat in the early hours of Monday after five failed attempts.Nothing was more vindicating for the regular comeback contender to be crowned the “Queen of Votes” with 58,828 ballots in the New Territories South East geographical constituency after years of bitter defeats.“There are no miracles, actually. There are only accumulated results. I sincerely thank all voters for witnessing this miracle w...

Hong Kong’s new legislature will be the youngest in the past two decades, with incoming lawmakers averaging 51 years old, according to public data.The age is four years younger than that of the current line-up and seven years below the previous batch, which ended its term in 2021.The rejuvenation of the Legislative Council is partly a result of the departure of 35 incumbent lawmakers, including 12 who are 70 years or above, such as the Liberal Party’s 76-year-old Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, the oldest and longest-serving member.Among the newly elected, Vivian Kong Man-wai is the youngest. The retired Olympic fencing gold medallist tried her hand in politics at the age of 31 and won a seat to represent the tourism sector in Legco.The eldest is Chan Siu-hung, 67, of the Election Committee constitue...

Hong Kong’s largest political party won far fewer votes in Sunday’s battle for directly contested seats in the legislature compared with four years ago as its candidates grappled with tough races and public anger over the deadly fire in Tai Po.While the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) retained all 10 of its geographical constituency seats, the party secured only 432,473 votes from residents, accounting for 34 per cent of the total, down by almost 250,000, or 36 per cent, from the 2021 election, when the party captured more than half.The DAB was forced to contend with a backlash from the public after one of its members, district councillor Peggy Wong Pik-kiu, was found to have advised the owners’ corporation of Wang Fuk Court on its renovation project ...

Having all seats contested in Sunday’s Legislative Council election and the resulting strong performance by independent candidates signal emerging political diversity within Hong Kong’s reformed electoral system, political analysts have said.However, a record number of invalid ballots cast suggested continued resistance to the “patriots-only” framework, they noted, urging the government to also take heed and ensure this would not be used to pile pressure on it in future.Observers also pointed to how Beijing had assessed the election to be a milestone in “Hong Kong’s high-quality democracy”, as they read into the term the central government’s preference for policy-focused governance over political confrontation and moving away from the past.“The election reveals diverse political currents w...

Newly elected and outgoing Hong Kong lawmakers have met the media jointly for the first time, pledging to work closely with the government in the aftermath of the deadly Tai Po fire, with the Legislative Council president urging them to communicate and serve the city.“Lawmakers should leverage their professional expertise, networks and resources to work wholeheartedly with the government on the myriad tasks of post-disaster relief efforts and reconstruction,” outgoing Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen said on Tuesday.The press event, held two days after Sunday’s election, was the first of its kind and aimed to show solidarity, according to Legco secretary general Dora Wai Pik-yiu.Leung said the poll had showcased healthy, high-quality competition, and urged elected legislators – grant...

Outgoing veteran Hong Kong lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun has called for expanding the number of directly elected seats in the legislature, saying the move will broaden the political spectrum and boost voter turnout.Mark Chong Ho-fung, the sole lawmaker-elect of the Roundtable party founded by Tien, also said on Tuesday that proposing the idea for political reform was to set the ball rolling and spur further discussion.Sunday’s Legislative Council election was the second under Beijing’s revamped system, with only 20 seats directly elected via the geographical constituencies.The remaining 70 seats – 40 seats in the Election Committee constituency and 30 seats in functional constituencies – were chosen by a small circle of voters within their respective sectors.Before the 2021 shake-up, half ...

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu swore in the new Legislative Council on January 1 without issue, even though a few lawmakers had to redo their oaths. And the first order of business for them is to elect the council president in a vote expected on January 8.Whether Lee’s message to Legco members – calling on them to be “representatives of the public”, and to prioritise the interests of the nation and Hong Kong over personal political gain and glory – is heard and how they interpret his words will be revealed then.That’s because at the heart of who they choose as president is how they see their roles as lawmakers and whether they put the city and national interests above personal gain.There are two candidates for the job, both veteran lawmakers: Starry Lee Wai-king and Ronick Chan...

Hong Kong’s constitutional affairs chief has dismissed suggestions that a record number of invalid ballots cast in the recent Legislative Council election was due to some people being forced to vote, adding that authorities may reconsider introducing “smart ballot boxes” to address the issue.Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai also said on Saturday that last month’s deadly Tai Po fire had affected the voter turnout in the poll.Last Sunday’s election yielded a turnout rate of 31.9 per cent, up slightly from the record low of 30.2 per cent in the 2021 Legco poll.But more invalid votes were recorded, with the 41,147 spoiled votes amounting to 3.12 per cent of the total cast. In the 2021 poll, 27,453 were spoiled, accounting for 2.03 per cent of the total.The...

For years, Winfield Chong Wing-fai, an executive committee member of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party and long-term advocate against bid-rigging, has juggled countless invitations from residents to attend meetings of owners’ corporations, so homeowners can seek his advice on building maintenance projects.The number and frequency of those invitations increased exponentially after last month’s deadly fire at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, which revealed the secrets of a murky and rapacious building renovation business, including the dubious practice of contractors paying companies to select them for their bids.But Chong has struggled to manage the workload.“I used to be able to handle 90 per cent of the cases I received in the past, but now I think I can only tackle around 10 or 20 per cent,” Chong to...

Beijing’s top office overseeing Hong Kong affairs said on New Year’s Day that the city had lived up to expectations, highlighting its response to the deadly Tai Po fire as proof of “unity and resilience”.The office’s comments came as city leader John Lee Ka-chiu, in response to President Xi Jinping’s new year greetings, pledged that Hong Kong would pursue quality development, deepen reforms and open up.The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office noted that both special administrative regions had lived up to expectations and advanced in unity under Xi’s leadership and guidance.“Hong Kong responded effectively and decisively to a major fire, showing unity and resilience in the face of adversity,” the office said in a commentary published under the pen name “Gang Ao Ping”.In his 2026 message deliv...