High Court
65-582: The New Territories East geographical constituency was one of the five geographical constituencies in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong . It was established in 1998 for the first SAR Legislative Council election and was abolished under the 2021 overhaul of the Hong Kong electoral system . It encompassed Sha Tin District , Tai Po District , North District and Sai Kung District . In
130-546: A by-election as part of the de facto "Five Constituencies Referendum" to pressure the government on the 2012 constitutional reform package . Leung was re-elected with a low turnout due to the government and pro-Beijing boycott, while Emily Lau's Democratic Party brokered a compromise with the Beijing authorities over the reform proposal, which increased the seats of the Legislative Council from 30 to 35, making
195-406: A non-binding motion calling on the government to amend election bylaws, barring anyone who has resigned from standing for re-election. Basic Law Committee member Lau Nai-keung said that the government-friendly camp should not contest the by-elections to lend credibility to the campaign. He urged Legco president not to accept the resignations by the five lawmakers, not hold any by-elections to fill
260-600: A "peaceful uprising". Gordon Wu said the Civic Party and the LSD were destabilising Hong Kong by resigning, and likened the call for people to rise up to action taken by red guards during the Cultural Revolution . Wu said: "Uprising is something very thrilling - although we have not reached the stage of armed struggle." Organisers for the resigners dismissed the criticism as tactics aimed at dampening turnout for
325-441: A de facto referendum and an endorsement of these issues. The five LegCo members resigned their seats on 21 January 2010 with the by-election taking place on 16 May 2010. The vote count was finalised by 2 am on 17 May 2010. Following a boycott by the pro-government parties, the five who resigned were successfully returned to the Legislative Council by voters with only turnout rate of 17.1%. The by-election has been criticised as
390-604: A dilemma by the resignations and the subsequent statements from central government politicians, pro-government politicians could not contest the polls for fear of being seen by Beijing to condone the "unconstitutional act", they thus all planned to boycott it. Tam Yiu-chung , Chairman of the DAB, criticised the by-election as "a farce...It's a waste of taxpayers' money...It promotes social conflict..." Chief Executive Donald Tsang announced, two days before polling day and after weeks of speculation, that he and his ministers would not vote in
455-469: A meeting was held to discuss the plan in or around September 2009 between Anson Chan , Martin Lee , Allen Lee , and Szeto, brokered by Jimmy Lai , during which he voiced opposition to the "unworkable" plan; the others who attended the meeting appeared to have softened their stance subsequently. In November 2009, Albert Ho declared his opposition to the referendum plan, as his party was "elected to fight for
520-667: A much smaller pool of voters consisting of corporate bodies and workers in the various sectors. The 800 Election Committee members are appointees. The existing electoral arrangement, which allows a person belonging to a stipulated sector to control more than one vote, has been denounced by Human Rights Monitor as "highly corrupt". Articles 45 and 68 of the Basic Law state that the Chief Executive and all members of LegCo shall eventually be elected by universal suffrage, while changes in election methods shall be in accordance with
585-410: A real referendum." On 21 January 2010, it was announced that Albert Chan ( NT West ), Alan Leong ( Kowloon East ), Tanya Chan ( Hong Kong Island ), "Longhair" Leung Kwok-hung ( NT East ) and Wong Yuk-man ( Kowloon West ), would resign their LegCo seats. The five resignations were submitted on 26 January 2010, with effect of 29 January 2010. The five resigned pan-democrats had hoped to give
650-415: A referendum has even been held. In late January Miriam Lau (Liberal Party) said her party would work closely with DAB to field candidates in the by-elections. James Tien and his brother Michael indicated their interest, but DAB vice-chairman Ip Kwok-him said there were divergent views within his party and that they would only take part in the by-elections if they are not seen as a referendum. Placed in
715-487: A separate ticket targeting North District and Tai Po District , while Andrew Cheng targeted Sha Tin District and Sai Kung District . Two extra seats were added to New Territories East in 2004 election , in which the pro-democrats formed a star-dubbed "7.1 United Front" ticket which aimed at winning five seats riding on the pro-democracy wave from the 2003 mass demonstration . However only the first three candidates, Andrew Cheng, Emily Lau and Ronny Tong were elected, while
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#1732801699914780-439: A street election campaign, said he was disappointed by several public remarks by Stephen Lam regarding the by-elections. Leong said Lam's remarks were a clear indication that the government had lost its "supposedly neutral attitude." In March, the LSD published an open letter condemning Ronny Tong for betraying his fellow pan-democrats (and not supporting the referendum plan), and bitterly attacked him personally. The Standard said
845-422: A valedictory speech in the Legislative Council, but were prevented from doing so by a walk-out by pro-Beijing lawmakers, who denounced them as "those pushing for 'Hong Kong Independence ' ". Only 21 pan-democrat lawmakers and four government allies remained in the chamber following the walk-out – short of the 30 required for quorum . Campaign slogan and advertisement by LSD and Civic party calling for "uprising of
910-560: A waste of taxpayers' money. According to Annex II of the Basic Law of Hong Kong , the Chief Executive of Hong Kong is elected by an 800-person election committee, consisting of appointees from four different sectors. The Legislative Council (LegCo) consists of 60 seats, 30 of which are geographical constituencies, subject to popular mandate; the remaining 30 seats are returned by functional Constituencies, which are elected by
975-402: Is a total violation of mainstream public opinion that wants stability, harmony and development." A Taipei Times editorial said it was inappropriate to use "stability, harmony, development" to justify the lack of democracy in the already stable, harmonious and developed Hong Kong. It was further said that it was even more ironic that Beijing claimed to know "mainstream public opinion" before
1040-498: Is made." The League of Social Democrats (LSD) proposed resignations by pan-democrats from LegCo in late July 2009. Wong Yuk-man said that it would "give people the chance to say they don't want any undemocratic reform proposals short of full universal suffrage by 2012." They proposed that members from the pan-democracy camp resign according to the size of their caucus in LegCo: two members from Democratic Party , one member from each
1105-670: The 2008 Legislative Council election as the Liberal Party's popularity declined, and was replaced by Wong Sing-chi. Leung Kwok-hung of the League of Social Democrats (LSD) rose to the top of the poll among the pro-democrats and Emily Lau dropped to the last. Lau decided to merge the Frontier into the Democratic Party after the party and became its vice chairwoman. In 2010 Leung Kwok-hung resigned from his office to trigger
1170-472: The 2016 Legislative Council election , nine members of the Legislative Council using the Hare quota of party-list proportional representation with 1,139,616 electorates in 2020. The single-constituency single-vote system was replaced by the party-list proportional representation system for the first SAR Legislative Council election designed by Beijing to reward the weaker pro-Beijing candidates and dilute
1235-538: The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Zhuhai. The same day, both the central government and Hong Kong's Constitutional Affairs minister Stephen Lam said a referendum on Hong Kong's electoral reform would be inconsistent with the Basic Law. Audrey Eu , Civic Party lawmaker who is also a barrister, denied that the resignation scheme challenged the Basic Law and Beijing's authority, and insisted
1300-458: The Civic Party and the LSD, and one member from the four independent democrats, chosen by drawing lots, thereby creating a 'referendum effect'. They suggested the timing of the resignations coincide with final reform proposal, after a public consultation exercise in late 2009; they also said that all three LSD legislators would resign if necessary. Further to that, Szeto Wah revealed that
1365-517: The largest remainder method under the Hare Quota . Between 1998 and 2016 , 5 geographical constituencies were established returned by proportional representation with 3-9 seats each: In 2010, the Government's motion for amending Annex II of the Basic Law was passed. As a result, 5 new seats were added to Geographical Constituencies, making a total of 35. The following table summarises
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#17328016999141430-937: The proportional representative electoral system was introduced in 1998, replacing the single-member constituencies of the 1995 election . Elected candidates are shown in bold . Brackets indicate the quota + remainder. Vote share Vote share Vote share Vote share Vote share Vote share Geographical constituencies District Court Magistrates' Court Special courts and tribunals: Chief Executive Elections Legislative elections District council elections Consular missions in Hong Kong Hong Kong–China relations Hong Kong–Taiwan relations In Hong Kong , geographical constituencies , as opposed to functional constituencies , are elected by all eligible voters according to geographically demarcated constituencies . There are currently 5 geographical constituencies in Hong Kong, returning 35 members to
1495-497: The 1,000 respondents polled opposed the 'referendum' campaign. Campaign organisers rejected Lau's claim, saying he famously underestimated attendance at the on 1 July 2003 protest march at 30,000. CPC Hong Kong liaison office head Peng Qinghua responded to the referendum by saying, "There are political groups that have launched the so-called 'five constituencies referendum campaign,' even proposing sensational and extreme slogans like 'civic uprising' and 'liberating Hong Kong. This
1560-547: The Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) Lau Kong-wah whose Civil Force (CF) had a strong presence in Sha Tin District , also won a seat. The last seat was taken by former Legislative Council President Andrew Wong , beating pro-business Liberal Party chairman Allen Lee . In the 2000 Legislative Council election , Cyd Ho switched to Hong Kong Island . Her vacancy was taken up by Democrat Wong Sing-chi who led
1625-707: The Chief Executive and the Legislature as resolved by the NPCSC. The document said that in line with the principle of "gradual and orderly progress", the scope of political participation would be broadened and the democratic elements in the 2012 elections substantially increased; the administration proposed to enlarge the Election Committee for electing the Chief Executive, add ten new LegCo seats, of which five indirectly elected. The administration also proposed to give elected District Council members more seats on
1690-499: The Democratic Party each won a seat. The DAB retained their two seats by splitting their ticket into two, each led by Chan Hak-kan and Elizabeth Quat . Fernando Cheung of the Labour Party and James Tien of the Liberal Party also returned to the Legislative Council through New Territories East. Over the debate on the 2016/2017 constitutional reform proposal , Civic Party moderate Ronny Tong resigned over his difference with
1755-445: The Election Committee. Following the unveiling of the consultation document, Pan-democrats attacked the lack of genuine progress, saying that the proposals were but a rehash of, and in some respects worse than, the 2005 proposals which they vetoed. Anson Chan commented on the lack of substance in the proposals: "The Hong Kong public is now left like someone pedalling a bicycle with no chain: the pedals spin round, but no forward progress
1820-591: The LSD was "doing its very best to rile Tong to create an imagery of confrontation between referendum advocates and pan-democratic moderates" in order to rekindle media interest. Democratic Party former leader Szeto Wah, Albert Ho and Martin Lee urged their supporters to vote in the by election; Lee said a blank vote it was preferable to no vote. A democracy protest organised by the Hong Kong Federation of Students supported by 200 people took place on 28 March 2010 from University of Hong Kong campus to
1885-586: The LegCo budget for the election. However, instead of making a separate appropriation request for the by-elections, the government provided for HK$ 159 million in its budget proposal, making it difficult for lawmakers to veto the funding. Wong Kwok-hing of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions moved the amendment to scrap the HK$ 147 ;million funding for the by-election, criticising
1950-411: The Legislative Council soon, to limit the ability of members to resign, which Ronny Tong said would contravene the Basic Law, and infringe upon the right to stand for elections protected under Article 26; he stated that it would be inconsistent with Article 74 for an individual legislator to table bills relating to the political structure. On 10 February, the constitutional affairs panel of LegCo passed
2015-592: The Legislative Council. Following the 2021 electoral reforms passed by the Standing Committee of the mainland National People's Congress , the number of members returned by geographical constituencies would be lowered to 20, while the total number of seats in the Legislative Council would be increased to 90. Geographical constituencies (GC) were first introduced in Hong Kong's first legislative election with direct elections in 1991 . 18 constituencies, each returning 2 members using plurality block voting
New Territories East (1998 constituency) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2080-581: The National People's Congress in its amendment to Annex 2 of the Basic Law on 30 March 2021. The proportional representation system used between 1998 and 2016 was scrapped. The reduction of the number of members returned by geographic constituencies has been described as "significantly curbing democratic representation in Hong Kong's institutions". These changes have been described as a shift in power away from Hong Kong's urban core and towards
2145-527: The by-elections. A pan-democracy gathering held in Central on 27 January 2010 was attended by approximately 4,000 people, according to organisers; police gave the number at 1,900. The group also used a song from cantopop group Beyond to sing about freedom. At one point they chanted repeatedly "Uprising, uprising, uprising...", while Albert Chan shouted to the crowd loudly "Liberate Hong Kong" (解放香港). Civic Party's Alan Leong , celebrating his birthday on
2210-475: The by-elections. On 15 January 2010, the State Council's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of China's State Council said any "so-called referendum" would be inconsistent with Hong Kong's legal status and a "blatant challenge" to the Basic Law and the central government's authority. National People's Congress vice chairman and secretary general Li Jianguo reiterated that view at the annual meeting of
2275-484: The by-elections. He said: "In view of the unique nature of this by-election and after careful consideration, I have decided not to vote in this by-election. All members of my political team share this view and, of their own accord, have also decided not to vote." He also said the government would seek to amend the election law to prevent such abuse in future. Also breaking with tradition, Electoral Affairs Commission chairman Mr Justice Barnabas Fung refused to appeal to
2340-415: The candidates. Like Tsang, he called the election a political incident. He stated he would follow the government when deciding whether or not to participate, as he believed government officials must have solidarity with one another. Posters and banners for the by-election were a dull brown and pink, contrasting with the vibrant orange and red of 2007; they also lacked any incitement to vote. Stephen Lam said
2405-424: The changes to the electoral system of Geographical Constituencies since 1991: The following table charts the evolution of districting of geographical constituencies of the LegCo: 20 seats of the Legislative Council are returned by geographical constituencies (GC) through single non-transferable vote with a district magnitude of 2 ("binomial system"). The binomial system was instituted by the Standing Committee of
2470-431: The electoral strength of the majority pro-democrats . Five seats were allocated to New Territories East, where popular democrat legislator Emily Lau of The Frontier topped the poll by winning more than 30 per cent of the popular vote with Cyd Ho also being elected. Although relatively weak in the region, the pro-democracy Democratic Party 's Andrew Cheng also won a seat, while the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for
2535-525: The electorate to vote, as a further sign that the government was trying actively to dampen the election atmosphere. The following people have entered for the by-election. On 2 May, about 3,000 people participated in a March for universal suffrage starting from Victoria Park ; Tanya Chan publicly said that she would not marry until HK gets universal suffrage. At a radio forum Commercial Radio held on 13 May about Sunday's by-election, candidate Lam Yi-lai accused Paul Tse of indecently assaulting her; she filed
2600-709: The failure to achieve universal suffrage in 2007, the target of the pan-democrats has shifted to 2012; pro-Beijing camp stated its preference for 2017. On 18 November 2009, based on the NPCSC decision, the Hong Kong Government published the Consultation Document on the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the LegCo in 2012 , which the Government said showed its determination to advance Hong Kong's democratic development in 2012, and to pave way for universal suffrage elections of
2665-426: The five geographical constituencies , thereby triggering a by-election in which all Hong Kong citizens could participate. Although the Basic Law of Hong Kong does not provide for official referendums, the pan-democrats hope that by returning the resignees to the Legislative Council, on their manifesto of real political reform in Hong Kong and the abolition of functional constituencies , the election can be seen as
New Territories East (1998 constituency) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2730-541: The fourth candidate Wong Sing-chi was ousted. The DAB ticket also won two seats with Li Kwok-ying of the rural background also won a new seat. James Tien of the Liberal Party who was at the peak of his popularity from his opposition to the Basic Law Article 23 legislation contested in the constituency for the first time, while socialist activist "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung won the last seat, unexpectedly ousting Andrew Wong. James Tien lost his re-election in
2795-546: The government offices in Central. The protesters called for abolition of functional constituencies, blaming them for social inequalities. They also want real universal suffrage by 2012. There was also a minor confrontation between some protesters and police; one protester was arrested. Students from the different HK universities formed a group called Tertiary 2012 (T12), and declared their aim to raise HK$ 250,000 to field one candidate for each vacant seat. The group, which have no formal alliance with other political parties, raised
2860-428: The government through violence, and Former Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung warned of anarchy. Ip Kwok-him , Deputy Chairman of the DAB, said the slogan was seditious; but Audrey Eu said it was an attempt to intimidate the Hong Kong people. Eu said that the 4 Chinese characters do not refer to a violent revolution and that the resignation is not a ploy to seek independence of Hong Kong; Wong Yuk-man emphasised it as
2925-567: The government was fulfilling its duty to remind the 3.3 million voters to vote, but added: "We have already said the by-elections are unnecessary and the public has strong views about the HK$ 150 ;million cost." Professor Lau Siu-kai, the head of the Central Policy Unit and the government's chief adviser, said the unit had conducted three surveys since the resignation, all of which consistently showed that more than half
2990-423: The ill-conceived resignation plan by treating it as a matter of constitutional significance." Some have called for laws to be made to bar lawmakers from resigning without sound reasons in future: Barrister Alan Hoo urged the government to amend the law as soon as possible to prohibit legislators resigning unless they are "incapacitated." Priscilla Leung said she planned to introduce a private member's bill into
3055-563: The necessary deposit from Internet donations and submitted their nomination papers on 1 April. The candidates all endorsed the cause of the Civic Party and the League of Social Democrats, but their platform consists of continuing to press for universal suffrage in both the chief executive and Legislative Council elections in 2012. Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang suggested that the by-elections had been "deliberately engineered" and dismissed them as political theatre . He also stated that he
3120-593: The number of the seats in New Territories East from seven to nine. In the 2012 Legislative Council election , the Democrats put forward an offensive strategy by fielding three tickets hoping to retain their current three seats. However with the radical democrats' ferocious attacks on their compromised position on the electoral reform, the Democrats retained only Emily Lau's seat while People Power 's Raymond Chan and Neo Democrats ' Gary Fan who quit
3185-815: The outer, less densely populated regions closer to mainland China, where pro-Beijing candidates tend to fare better. 10 geographical constituencies were established for the 2021 election : 2010 Hong Kong by-election Tanya Chan ( Civic ) Wong Yuk-man ( LSD ) Alan Leong ( Civic ) Albert Chan ( LSD ) Leung Kwok-hung ( LSD ) Tanya Chan ( Civic ) Wong Yuk-man ( LSD ) Alan Leong ( Civic ) Albert Chan ( LSD ) Leung Kwok-hung ( LSD ) High Court District Court Magistrates' Court Special courts and tribunals: Chief Executive Elections Legislative elections District council elections Consular missions in Hong Kong Hong Kong–China relations Hong Kong–Taiwan relations The 2010 Hong Kong Legislative Council by-election
3250-521: The party and triggered a February 2016 by-election . Although Civic Alvin Yeung defeated DAB's Holden Chow , Edward Leung of the pro-independence Hong Kong Indigenous (HKI) received a better-than-expected results which boosted the localist camp morale. Edward Leung was later on barred from running in the September 2016 general election an instead supported Youngspiration 's Baggio Leung who
3315-554: The people" (全民起義), attracted media attention and the ire of Beijing. Reception of the slogan was particularly negative by the pro-Beijing camp. Rita Fan attacked the term saying it would set a dangerous precedent by misleading the public over the purpose of the by-elections. She said anyone who has studied Chinese history would know that the word "uprising" convey an image of revolution, blood, and violence and that it would make people think of social turmoil, hardship and chaos. Maria Tam said an uprising usually refers to overthrowing
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#17328016999143380-428: The plan, fearing the loss of veto if their numbers dwindled in the by-election. Tong was not confident of the pan-democratic camp being able to mobilise sufficient voters to render meaningful effect in the so-called de facto referendum. He also feared that failing to get Beijing to agree to its demand after the first phase of protest would lead to mass pan-democratic resignations from LegCo, which would be likely to further
3445-472: The principle of "gradual and orderly progress". According to Annex I and II of the Basic Law, the election method of the Chief Executive and the LegCo may be amended after 2007. On 29 December 2007, the NPCSC resolved that the Chief Executive and LegCo could be elected via universal suffrage in 2017 and 2020 respectively. The pan-democracy camp has become increasingly frustrated at the slow pace of reform. After
3510-518: The pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU). However, Fan was later unseated by the court in December 2019, as the court viewed pro-independence candidate Ventus Lau 's disqualification in the by-election was unlawful. Below are all the members returned for the New Territories East constituency since its creation. The number of seats increased from five to nine between 1998 and 2016. The largest remainder method (with Hare quota ) of
3575-431: The public." He added that the proposal would be voted on by party members on 13 December. Szeto Wah said the Democratic Party would not join in the resignations itself, but would support pan-democrats who stood for re-election. Martin Lee called on the other democrats to rethink their participation in the plan. In December, the Democratic Party membership voted 229 voted against, 54 in favour and one abstention not to join
3640-489: The referendum was contrary to the spirit of the Basic Law, but it was not illegal and the pan-democrats could not be prosecuted for it; an assistant professor of law at HKU, rejected claims that a non-binding referendum would contravene the Basic Law. An editorial in the SCMP said that while the Basic Law did not expressly rule out or permit referendums, Beijing's statement that the elections are unconstitutional has "dignified
3705-510: The resignation plan after a four-hour debate; Martin Lee expressed his disappointment. The Civic Party was initially lukewarm to the idea; it later responded with their "3-Stage Fight Plan for Universal Suffrage", which involves firstly negotiation with the government for a firm roadmap and timetable, Five Constituencies Resignation, and if that is not successful, mass resignation of all 23 democrats in Legco. Party co-founder Ronny Tong opposed
3770-536: The scheme was legal. A government spokesman said they were obliged, by the Basic Law, to hold by-elections to fill vacant seats, but that any kind of referendum has no legal basis. A number of local legal scholars have since expressed their opinion that a referendum would not be illegal nor inconsistent with the Basic Law: Albert Chen , professor of law of the University of Hong Kong, said that
3835-533: The split the pan-democratic camp. Around November 2009 there were disputes within the pan-democracy camp as to who would resign or not. Tong said he would not resign his seat in Legco if there was to be a mass resignation, but would instead leave the party he helped found. In November the Liberal Party chairman James Tien and Chan Yuen-han of the Federation of Trade Unions were looking to contest
3900-425: The two parties for their "farce." The amendment was defeated by a 14-to-37 vote. It was supported by three HKFTU members, the DAB legislators, together with Paul Tse and Priscilla Leung, but voted down in both the functional and geographical constituencies. Albert Ho said it was merely a political expression testing public opinion, and challenged those loyal to Beijing, saying that they should support "upgrad[ing] it to
3965-443: The vacancies, and "declare those lawmakers are no longer qualified for office if they are absent from meetings for three consecutive months without valid reasons." The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau has estimated that the by-elections would cost HK$ 150 million (US$ 19.3 million). The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) and the Liberal Party have not decided whether to approve
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#17328016999144030-736: Was an election held on 16 May 2010 in Hong Kong for all five geographical constituencies of the Legislative Council (LegCo), triggered by the resignation of five pan-democrat Legislative Councillors in January of the same year. Discussions among the pan-democrats commenced in July 2009 for five legislators to resign to force a territory-wide by-election. The plan, which they dubbed the Five Constituencies Referendum (五區公投) or Five Constituencies Resignation (五區總辭), involved one pan-democratic legislator resigning from each of
4095-581: Was created for the 1991 election . Under Chris Patten's electoral reform , single-member constituencies were introduced for geographical constituencies in the 1995 election . After the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, the Provisional Legislative Council enacted the Legislative Council Ordinance (Cap. 542) which stipulated the use of party-list proportional representation with seats apportioned by
4160-486: Was elected. While Lam Cheuk-ting succeeded Emily Lau who was retiring, New People's Party 's Eunice Yung who was supported by Civil Force ousted Gary Fan. Baggio Leung was soon disqualified from the office due to his oath-taking controversy , followed by Leung Kwok-hung who was also disqualified for his oath-taking manner. A by-election was held in March 2018, where Gary Fan made a comeback by defeating Tang Ka-piu of
4225-463: Was not sure if he would even cast a vote. Audrey Eu said that Tsang's remarks were inappropriate. Wong Yuk-man of the League of Social Democrats suggested that a boycott by Tsang could result in increased voter turnout. Ronny Tong asked whether Tsang had broken the law by declaring he might not vote. Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing refused to publicly state whether or not he would be voting, stating that he did not have knowledge of all
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