The First Legislative Council Election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Meaning and Impact

Abstract

This paper provides a systematic analysis of the meaning of the first Legislative Council election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and its impact on the future development of democracy in Hong Kong. It shows that the election put Hong Kong back onto the course of gradual democratization derailed by the Provisional Legislature. The unprecedentedly high turnout rate washed away the politically apathetic image of the Hong Kong people. The high percentage of popular votes received by the ”democrats” also reflected the persistent public support for the democratic camp. With public support, the comeback of the democrats will surely ignite and aggravate both the contentions over the pace of democratization among the dfferent political forces and the friction between the Legislative Council and the HKSAR Chief Executive. The short-lived ”political harmony” brought about by the Provisional Legislature is thus forever gone. However the democrats were only able to grab one-third of the seats in the Legislative Council, with the rest taken up by the pro-China and industrial-business forces. Hence, the Legislative Council will remain divided in its future operations with no single camp claiming dominance. This situation meets the objectives of the electoral system drawn up by Beijing and the HKSAR government and is conducive to alleviating the pressure on the executive-led HKSAR government.