China: Hong Kong Democrats Celebrate After Strong Showing In First Legislative Elections Under Chinese Rule

Record ID: 3991

  • Title: China: Hong Kong Democrats Celebrate After Strong Showing In First Legislative Elections Under Chinese Rule
  • Date: 25th May 1998
  • Summary: Hong Kong democrats are celebrating after a strong showing in the first elections for the territory's legislature under Chinese rule. The democratic party was in jubilant mood after a strong showing in post-vote polls which sees them winning as many as 14 seats in the new Legislative Assembly or Legco as it is popularly known. Popular unionist Lau Chin-shek and lawyer James To were the first two Democratic Party members to clinch their seats, taking two of the three seats in the Kowloon West constituency by a landslide. Party members and supporters burst into applause when the result was announced in the same convention centre where Britain handed Hong Kong back to China last year after 156 years of colonial rule. Pro-China politician Tsang Yok-sing, who had fought an uphill battle, won the third seat. Democratic Party leader Martin Lee was on hand for the historic win and later said the democrats' showing gave them a mandate to push ahead with the territory's democratic aspirations despite its return in July 1997 to communist Chinese rule. Beijing's first post handover act was to shut down the legislature, replacing it with a hand-picked group of pro-Chinese politicians and business leaders. However Sunday's polls which is expected to give the democrats as many as 14 of the 20 directly elected seats up for grabs in the new Legco appears to confirm the territory's democratic aspirations. However the stacked electoral process designed to ensure a pro-Beijing legislature means the pro-democracy camp will still be a minority despite its obvious popularity with the voters. Record numbers of Hong Kong residents voted, stumping experts who expected that political apathy, a confusing voting system and atrocious weather would keep people at home. Officials said more than 1. 49 million people, or 53 percent of registered voters, had cast ballots for the 20 seats up for grabs in the 60-seat legislature. That was above the previous record of 920,500 voters, or 35. 8 percent, in the final election under British rule in 1995. Analysts said the turnout belied the reputation of Hong Kong's people for being non-political and may have been a backlash against the unelected body installed after China took control. Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa, picked by Beijing to run the territory of 6. 6 million people on the south China coast, said he was delighted with the high-voter turnout. But the former shipping magnate looks certain to face a more boisterous opposition in the legislature once the pro-democracy parties return to their seats. The exit polls showed Democratic Party leader Martin Lee, once branded a subversive by Beijing, taking more than 50 percent of the vote in his Hong Kong Island constituency. Analysts said Hong Kong people were beginning to grasp the concept of "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong", as guaranteed under the terms of the handover of the territory to Chinese rule. Attacking Beijing, Lee said the large voter turnout was a condemnation of the skewed electoral system. In a message he is certain to press in coming months, Lee called for all 60 legislative seats and Tung's position as chief executive to be directly elected by voters by 2000, when the next legislative election will be held.
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  • Location: CHINA HONG KONG
  • Reuters ID: LDL00128VYSLN
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
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  • Copyright Holder: Reuters Archive
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