Hong Kong local elections, 2015
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The 2015 Hong Kong District Council elections will be held on 22 November 2015.[1] Elections are to be held to all 18 District Councils of Hong Kong, returning 431 members from directly elected constituencies after all appointed seats will be abolished.
Background
Boundary changes
As proposed in the Democratic Party's modified electoral reform package passed in 2010, all appointed seats will be abolished in this election. After a review on the number of elected seats for each District Council having regard to the population forecast in mid-2015, the Electoral Affairs Commission proposed to increase 19 elected seats in 9 District Councils:[2]
- 1 new seat for in each Tsuen Wan and North District Councils;
- 2 new seats for each Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City, Kwun Tong, Yau Tsim Mong and Sha Tin District Councils;
- 3 new seats for the Sai Kung District Council; and
- 4 new seats for the Yuen Long District Council.
The total number of elected seats for the 2015 elections was increased by 19 from 412 to 431. Additionally, the boundaries of the Eastern and Wan Chai Districts was adjusted by transferring the Tin Hau and Victoria Park district council constituency areas from the Eastern District to the Wan Chai District.
Umbrella movement
The 2014 Hong Kong protests sparked a fierce tussle between the pan-democrats and pro-Beijing camp as the democrats hailed a "civic awakening" while pro-Beijing camp mobilised supporters to condemn the 79-day street blockade as an affront to the rule of law. The November District Council elections is to seen as the first big electoral test of the post-Occupy era. Both camps say events to come will have a bigger effect on voters, while the extent to which a political awakening among the city's youth will lead them to turn out to vote remains unclear. The pan-democrats encourage young people who participated in the Occupy movement to register and vote in the district council poll.[3]
Contesting parties
The pro-Beijing camp dominates all 18 district councils, holding about half of the 412 directly elected seats while the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) outnumbers any other party by having 132 seats, in which 121 of them are directly elected. More than 80 are in the hands of pan-democrats in which 44 of them belong the Democratic Party. Independents hold the rest, while the councils also contain 95 ex officio or appointed members. While councils have little formal power, they will play a key role in the 2016 Legislative Council election, at which six seats go to district councillors including five so-called super seats in the District Council (Second) constituency, elected in a citywide ballot of three million voters while one through the District Council (First) elected by all District Councillors.[3]
Many new pro-democracy groups formed by young people after the Occupy movement, including the Youngspiration, the Tsz Wan Shan Constructive Power, which aimed at Wong Tai Sin District Council, the North of the Rings, which worked in Sheung Shui and Fanling in North District, the East Kowloon Community which had its eyes on Kwun Tong District Council, and some other groups. Some of them were with the "nativist" agenda and said they would not necessarily coordinate candidates with the pan-democratic parties to avoid splitting the pro-democracy vote in some constituencies.[4]
Among the pro-Beijing camp, the two new parties, the middle-class-oriented New People's Party (NPP) and the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) developed their forces at district level since their creations in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The New People's Party got 4 of the 12 candidates elected in 2011 and at least eight incumbent councillors had since joined the party, while a merger with Civil Force, a local political group with strongholds in the New Territories East, brought the number up to 30.[5]
Pro-Beijing camp
Parties and groups that won seats in 2011
- Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions
- New People's Party–Civil Force
- Liberal Party (20)[6]
Other parties or groups
Pan-democracy camp
Parties and groups that won seats in 2011
- Democratic Party
- Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood
- Neo Democrats
- Civic Party
- Neighbourhood and Worker's Service Centre
- People Power
Other parties or groups
- Labour Party (12)[7]
- Youngspiration (8)[8]
- Tsz Wan Shan Constructive Power
- North of the Rings
- East Kowloon Community
Current composition
As of 15 April 2015:
| Council/ Party |
C&W | WC | E | S | YTM | SSP | KC | WTS | KT | TW | TM | YL | N | TP | SK | ST | KC | I | TOTAL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAB | 5 | 4 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 132 | ||
| NPP–CF | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 31 | |||||||||||
| FTU | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 30 | |||||||||
| NTAS | 6 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 29 | |||||||||||||
| KWND | 10 | 7 | 9 | 26 | |||||||||||||||||
| BPA | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 21 | ||||||||||||
| Liberal | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 12 | |||||||||||
| Ind & others | 8 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 119 | ||||
| Pro-Beijing | 14 | 11 | 37 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 33 | 17 | 26 | 38 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 34 | 20 | 19 | 400 | ||
| DP | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 44 | |||||
| ADPL | 1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 16 | |||||||||||||||
| ND | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||
| Civic | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| NWSC | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| PP | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| DA | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ind & others | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | |||||||||||
| Pan-democrats | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 2 | 100 | ||
| Ind & others | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Vacant | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Councillors | 18 | 13 | 43 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 29 | 40 | 22 | 35 | 42 | 24 | 24 | 29 | 43 | 35 | 21 | 507 | ||
Overview
| Council | Current control | Largest party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central and Western | Pro-Beijing | DAB | |
| Wan Chai | Pro-Beijing | DAB | |
| Eastern | Pro-Beijing | DAB | |
| Southern | Pro-Beijing | Democratic | |
| Yau Tsim Mong | Pro-Beijing | DAB | |
| Sham Shui Po | Pro-Beijing | ADPL | |
| Kowloon City | Pro-Beijing | DAB | |
| Wong Tai Sin | Pro-Beijing | DAB | |
| Kwun Tong | Pro-Beijing | DAB | |
| Tsuen Wan | Pro-Beijing | NTAS | |
| Tuen Mun | Pro-Beijing | DAB | |
| Yuen Long | Pro-Beijing | NTAS | |
| North | Pro-Beijing | DAB | |
| Tai Po | Pro-Beijing | DAB | |
| Sai Kung | Pro-Beijing | DAB | |
| Sha Tin | Pro-Beijing | NPP–CF | |
| Kwai Tsing | Pro-Beijing | Democratic | |
| Islands | Pro-Beijing | DAB | |
References
- ↑ "Polling date for 2015 District Council ordinary election published". Hong Kong Government. 13 March 2015.
- ↑ "Report on the Recommended Constituency Boundaries for the 2015 District Council Election" (PDF). Electoral Affairs Commission. 5 November 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cheung, Tony (2 February 2015). "How will Hong Kong pro-democracy protests affect district elections?". South China Morning Post.
- ↑ Ng, Joyce; Lau, Stuart (7 April 2015). "Hong Kong post-Occupy young bloods eye up district council elections". South China Morning Post.
- ↑ Cheung, Tony (5 April 2015). "Pro-establishment camp divided ahead of district council elections". South China Morning Post.
- ↑ "【區議會系列】建制政黨撞區情況嚴重". DBC. 7 April 2015.
- ↑ "工黨派出十二名社區幹事備戰區議會選舉". Commerical Radio Hong Kong. 24 March 2015.
- ↑ "【區議會系列】「傘兵」出選區會與泛民對撼". DBC. 4 April 2015.
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