Hong Kong pan-democrats fear election clashes with 'umbrella activists' will split pro-democracy vote

JOYCE NGjoyce.ng@scmp.com

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 03 November, 2015, 12:01am

UPDATED : Tuesday, 03 November, 2015, 12:00am

Sin said clashes could split the pro-democracy vote. Photo: Felix Wong

Four major pan-democratic parties say one-third of their 158 candidates running in this month's district council elections are facing challenges from self-proclaimed "umbrella activists" and former party members.

The parties fear the clashes will split the pro-democracy vote and so hand victory to pro-establishment rivals.

They said the situation was reflected in the fact that many pro-establishment candidates had turned down media invitations to speak at election forums.

READ MORE: Hong Kong pan-democratic lawmakers urge more government funding for next year's Legco election campaign

At a media gathering yesterday, the Democratic Party, Civic Party, Labour Party and the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood issued a list of 46 candidates facing competition from those who claim to share their democratic ideals.

"These candidates clashing with us have a lot of other choices," said Democrat Sin Chung-kai, who oversees his party's campaigns. "There are a total of 431 seats, and pan-democrats are contesting less than half … Why don't they challenge the 68 uncontested seats held by the pro-Beijing camp?"

The figure did not include new candidates "who have worked in the districts for a long time," Sin said. "We only counted those parachuted into the constituencies."

Civic Passion leader Wong Yeung-tat said his group saw Democrats as "pro-establishment". Photo: Felix WongThe Democrats are fielding 95 candidates, the most among the four parties. Many candidates have refused to join a system set up among the pan-democratic parties to avoid clashes. They come from several groups including Civic Passion, which has five out of its six candidates running against Democrats.

Also refusing to join were Youngspiration and a group whose Chinese name roughly translates as New Youth Group.

Five candidates from other groups in clashes are former Democratic Party members.

Earlier, Civic Passion leader Wong Yeung-tat said his group saw Democrats as "pro-establishment". Youngspiration said its candidates had been unaware Democrats were running in the same neighbourhoods.

The four pan-democratic parties said only one of their candidates - Albert Ho Chun-yan - had had a chance to take on a pro-establishment rival face to face at a forum because so many of them had turned down media invitations to speak.

http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1875054/hong-kong-pan-democrats-fear-election-clashes-umbrella