2023 Hong Kong local elections

The 2023 Hong Kong District Council elections are scheduled in November 2023 for all 18 District Councils of Hong Kong. They were the first local elections after the passage of the national security law and the 2021 electoral changes.

2023 Hong Kong local elections
November 2023
All Elected Constituencies
264 (of the 470) seats in all Districts Councils
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Starry Lee 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%
Seats before 21 7 6
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
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%
Seats before 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.[1]

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.[2]

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.[3]

The pro-Beijing camp was able to take back control of several councils, including Kowloon City, Kwun Tong, Wan Chai and North District.[4] 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.[5] Nevertheless, Chief Executive Carrie Lam in July 2021 announced that no by-election would be held during her tenure.[6]

Election overhaul
Main article: 2023 Hong Kong electoral changes

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 the each of the 40 per cent of the seats will be returned by indirect elections and appointed by the Chief Executive.[7]

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.[8]

References
  1. "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.
  2. "Hong Kong's remaining district councillors must take oaths of loyalty to gov't from Fri". Hong Kong Free Press. 7 September 2021.
  3. "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.
  4. "【專欄】區議員辭職逾230人已近「達標」". 星島日報. 2021-07-14.
  5. "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.
  6. "【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.
  7. "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.
  8. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BRIEF - IMPROVING GOVERNANCE AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL (PDF). Legislative Council of Hong Kong. 2 May 2023.
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