Hong Kong’s election authorities have received 161 nominations for candidates to run in the upcoming “patriots only” legislative race, which is scheduled for December. The process has seen a notable shift, with 35 current-term lawmakers deciding not to seek re-election for the 90-seat chamber.
The nomination period for the December 7 Legislative Council (LegCo) polls concluded on Thursday. According to the Election Affairs Commission (EAC), 161 entries were received from election hopefuls—seven more than in the previous LegCo race in 2021. These candidates are evenly distributed across the three constituencies of the council.
- 40-seat election committee constituency: 50 candidates are competing. This group is responsible for selecting the city’s leader.
- 30-seat functional constituency: 60 candidates are vying for seats. Functional constituencies represent professional or special interest groups such as commerce, industry, accountancy, and education.
- 20-seat geographical constituency: 51 candidates are running. This is the only democratically elected portion of the chamber.
Among the pro-Beijing parties, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) has put forward the most candidates with 26 nominations. The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) follows with 16, while the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) has 14. The pro-Beijing New People’s Party has eight candidates, and the pro-business Liberal Party has six.
This year’s LegCo race marks the second since Beijing implemented an electoral overhaul aimed at ensuring that only “patriots” would govern Hong Kong. This change followed the pro-democracy protests and unrest in 2019. Most traditional pro-democracy opposition figures are either incarcerated, in self-exile, or have left politics, effectively barring their participation.
The 161 candidates will now be reviewed by the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee, which will determine the validity of their nominations within two weeks. Of the 161 hopefuls, 54 are current lawmakers, while 107 are new contenders. Thirty-five legislators from the current LegCo have chosen not to seek re-election.
Hours before the nomination period ended at 5pm on Thursday, five lawmakers—Jesse Shang, Wendy Hong, Chan Yuet-ming, Kenneth Leung, and Tan Yueheng—announced their decision to sit out the December race via social media. All five are first-time lawmakers. They joined a growing list of those who had previously stated they would not run, including all 12 current lawmakers aged 70 or above. Authorities have dismissed rumors that younger candidates are being favored.
Paul Tse, a 66-year-old legislator, was the only one who did not publicly announce his decision to not seek re-election.
In March 2021, Beijing passed legislation to ensure “patriots” governed Hong Kong. This move significantly reduced democratic representation in the legislature, tightened control over elections, and introduced a pro-Beijing vetting panel to select candidates. The Hong Kong government claimed the overhaul would ensure stability and prosperity. However, the changes faced international criticism, as they made it nearly impossible for pro-democracy candidates to participate.
During the 2021 legislative elections, voter turnout was recorded at 30.2 per cent—the lowest in the history of LegCo elections since the former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Since then, the number of registered voters in Hong Kong has declined for four consecutive years. The latest figure stands at over 4.13 million this year. In comparison, the peak number of registered voters in 2021 was 4.47 million.