trending Market Intelligence /marketintelligence/en/news-insights/trending/glgnbsyxgrm4ctnljyyzeg2 content esgSubNav
In This List

Hong Kong democracy campaigners fall short in by-elections

Podcast

Street Talk Episode 87

Blog

A New Dawn for European Bank M&A Top 5 Trends

Blog

Insight Weekly: US banks' loan growth; record share buybacks; utility M&A outlook

Blog

Banking Essentials Newsletter 2021: December Edition


Hong Kong democracy campaigners fall short in by-elections

Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp failed to regain some veto power in the city's 70-seat legislative council after it won only two of the four seats in the March 11 by-elections.

Pro-democracy candidates Gary Fan and Au Nok-hin emerged victorious in New Territories East and Hong Kong Island, respectively, official results from Hong Kong's Electoral Affairs Commission showed. Pro-Beijing candidate Tony Tse beat Paul Zimmerman of the pro-democracy camp in the architectural constituency.

Surveyor Edward Yiu lost to pro-establishment Vincent Cheng in Kowloon West district by a slim margin, following a recount earlier March 12.

The opposition is now one seat short of gaining control to block most bills in the legislative chamber, Reuters reported.

The by-election was held after six pro-democracy lawmakers, including Yiu, were disqualified from public office amid a controversy over the validity of their oaths in 2016. Two other by-elections will be held after an appeal filed by two of the six legislators is completed, Reuters said in a March 9 report.

Pro-democracy campaigners said the Sunday vote was seen as a referendum on Hong Kong's future amid fears that the council would become a "rubber-stamp parliament" if the seats were not regained, Reuters reported.

Voter turnout came in at 43%, lower than the 58% seen at the full legislative council elections in 2016, the publication said.

With the results, the pro-democracy camp now has 26 out of the 70 seats in the legislative council, the Financial Times reported.

The results also coincided with a landmark vote in China that removed presidential term limits, allowing China President Xi Jinping to rule for the rest of his life.

China has opposed Hong Kong activists' push for full democracy, with Xi saying that Beijing would not tolerate any challenge to its authority, Reuters reported.