EJ Insight » Hong KongToday, 12:32 PM
Youngspiration says it will cooperate with supporters of the pro-democracy movement in preparing for the Legco by-election. Photo: Facebook
After the district council elections Sunday, political parties in Hong Kong, are now eyeing a more important one: the Legislative Council election to be held in September next year.
A Legco by-election early in the year could be a touchstone for the party’s prospects in the big one, Apple Daily reported Tuesday.
The by-election in the New Territories East constituency will be held Feb. 28.
Those who want to stand for election need to submit an application between Jan. 5 and Jan. 18, the Registration and Electoral Office said.
The vacancy occurred when former Civic Party lawmaker Ronny Tong Ka-wah resigned from Legco Oct. 1 over differences in principle with other members of the party he co-founded.
Youngspiration, a party established with the aim of keeping Hong Kong from being controlled by Beijing, has made it clear it will cooperate with supporters of the pro-democracy movement last year to come up with a candidate for the by-election.
Some of the movement’s supporters, so-called umbrella soldiers, ended up winning as dark horses in Sunday’s district council elections, suggesting they are backed by many voters in the city.
The pan-democratic camp reportedly might coordinate with Youngspiration in putting up barrister Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu of the Civic Party as the candidate for the vacancy.
Without stating a clear position on the by-election, Civic Party chief Alan Leong Kah-kit only said at a news conference Monday that the party has yet to devise any plan for the Legco elections next year but anything is possible.
He said deployment of manpower and resources for the election in September could affect the party’s arrangements for the by-election.
Lawmaker Gary Fan Kwok-wai of the Neo Democrats, who were the big winner on Sunday in the constituencies of New Territories East district, said the party has yet to think about having its own candidate for the by-election.
Political commentator Ivan Choy Chi-keung said the umbrella soldiers showed their strength in Sunday’s elections, so it would not be easy for the other pan-democratic parties to ask them to back out and make way for their candidates.
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