Pro-gov’t DAB party announces candidates for Hong Kong’s ‘patriots only’ December elections

Hong Kong’s largest pro-establishment political party has announced its list of 18 candidates for elections in December to a revamped legislature, which will have far fewer directly elected seats following a political overhaul ordered by Beijing.

Starry Lee, head of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said on Friday that both veterans and newcomers would vie for seats in the 90-strong Legislative Council.

Ten of the DAB candidates will run in directly-elected geographical constituencies, four will stand in functional constituencies representing special interest groups, and four more will stand in a sector reserved for Election Committee members.

The group includes a mix of DAB veterans and newcomers. Among the veterans Lau Kwok-fan will run for a seat in New Territories North, Starry Lee will contest Kowloon Central and Ben Chan Han-pan will stand in New Territories South West.

Newcomer Edward Leung Hei, a member of the DAB’s executive committee and graduate of the University of Southern California, will run in the Hong Kong Island East district and Vincent Cheng will run in his home district of Kowloon West. Cheng was a district councillor for Sham Shui Po until 2019.

The party’s slogan is “Reform, seek changes for the future.”

Lee also announced that four of the DAB’s longest-serving lawmakers would step down: Ann Chiang, Wong Ting-kwong, Leung Che-cheung and Wilson Or. Chiang announced on Facebook that she “will pass the baton to the younger generation” but continue to serve the community.

In March 2021, Beijing passed legislation to ensure only “patriots” govern Hong Kong. The move sharply reduced democratic representation in the legislature while expanding the number of seats from 70 to 90, tightened control of elections and introduced a pro-Beijing vetting panel to select candidates.

The Hong Kong government said the overhaul would ensure the city’s stability and prosperity. But the changes also prompted international condemnation, as it makes it much more difficult for pro-democracy candidates to stand.

The Democratic Party, the city’s largest pro-democracy political grouping, has said that none of its members have applied to stand in the December 19 election.

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