The 2025 Hong Kong Legislative Council election was a general election held on 7 December 2025 to elect all 90 members of the 8th Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Following the 2021 Hong Kong electoral changes, 90 seats were up for election, including 40 seats elected by the 1,500-member Election Committee, 30 trade-based indirectly elected functional constituency seats, and 20 seats directly elected through geographical constituencies. The election, in which only pro-government "patriots" may run and only 20 seats are popularly elected, is considered by various countries and groups to be neither free nor fair.
7 December 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 90 seats to the Legislative Council 46 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 4,131,298 (GC) ( 7.64 pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 31.9% ( 1.7 pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The past legislative session, the 7th Legislative Council, was criticised for its lack of meaningful discourse, with many bills being approved without a quorum. The introduction of smart ballot boxes also prompted controversy, while the future of democrats and moderates was called into question due to the effective dissolution of the pro-democracy camp. Ultimately, there were only two "non-core pro-establishment candidates" from the PoD Research Institute, both of whom did not declare their affiliation and came last.
Following multiple reports that indicated the central Chinese government established an age limit on lawmakers, all 12 of them aged over 70, including council president Andrew Leung and the leaders of five parties – Lo Wai-kwok of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA), Regina Ip of the New People's Party (NPP), Tommy Cheung of the Liberal Party, Michael Tien of Roundtable, and Tik Chi-yuen of Third Side – chose not to seek another term for various reasons, contributing to a retirement wave and an abundance of newcomer candidates. Third Side and New Prospect for Hong Kong did not field any candidates after their incumbents retired.
Election-related activities were suspended due to the Wang Fuk Court fire, but the election went ahead as scheduled despite calls for postponement. Only government-organised election forums were held, which were criticised for lacking debate. The government ran a massive turnout campaign, set up dedicated polling stations, and extended voting hours to raise the historically low turnout from the last election. Many people were arrested for damaging election posters and inciting others not to vote or cast invalid votes. The election resulted in a 31.9% voter turnout—a slight increase from the 2021 election but still lower than the 52.3% turnout in 2016. The total votes cast in the geographical constituencies also decreased from 2021 by 33,000, and registration decreased by 7.64%.
Background
This is the second "patriots governing Hong Kong" election under the new electoral system introduced in 2021, after which the Legislative Council was expanded from 70 to 90 seats, but with only 20 seats allocated for geographical constituencies (GCs) which are directly elected by constituents. The remaining seventy seats include 40 Election Committee Constituency (ECC) seats selected by the 1,500-member body, and 30 seats of trade-based indirectly elected functional constituencies (FCs) voted by selected groups of professionals and corporate representatives.
Only pro-Beijing "patriots" are allowed to run; the majority of opposition pro-democracy members were banned, jailed, or forced into exile. In addition, the election is considered a disproportionate two-tier democracy[by whom?][clarification needed] and very limited popular representation, as only 20 of the Council's 90 seats are directly elected. The current election laws are considered by the foreign ministries of various countries, Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an inter-parliamentary group of lawmakers in several countries, and some NGOs to be neither free nor fair.
Past legislative session
The 7th Legislative Council elected in 2021 was the first after the national security law and electoral changes were imposed by the government of China. Without any legislator explicitly from the pro-democracy camp, the legislature packed with pro-Beijing members was criticised to lack meaningful discussions and debates, while newcomers of the Legislative Council resorted to politically correct measures only, such as repeating speeches by Chinese officials. Ming Pao reported in August 2023 that amongst the 24 government bills passed since the beginning of the legislative term, including the domestic security law which was fast-tracked, 16 of those were approved without a quorum, prompting concerns of LegCo members' performance. Andrew Leung, President of the Legislative Council, denied claims that the chamber rubber-stamped bills and defended it as highly efficient. However, an opinion poll by pro-government party and think tank Path of Democracy said 48.1% of the interviewed expressed dissatisfaction with legislators' performance and only 29.4% were content.
Apart from evaluation from the own party, it was also reported that government officials were involved in assessing the performance of the legislators in the run-up to the election, an act seen as unprecedented before the "patriot-only" principle was implemented.
Smart ballot box
In December 2024, the government of Hong Kong announced a series of new measures to be implemented in this election. The Improving Electoral Arrangements (Consolidated Amendments) Bill contained a plan to introduce "smart ballot boxes" to ensure ballots were validly marked. While the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said the scanners would "streamline and enhance" procedures while ensuring that "cardinal election principles" such as voting confidentiality would be upheld, some lawmakers expressed concerns over the implications of compromising vote secrecy. Although insisting the voter rights would be protected as voters would not be identified, the government withdrew the proposal less than a week later after "considering the views of legislators". The bureau said it attaches great importance to the views and is willing to "accept well-intentioned advice", while the smart ballot boxes will still be made available for voters who choose to use them.
Future of democrats and moderates
The implementation of the "Patriots administering Hong Kong" principle barred "unpatriotic" opposition from being elected to public offices.[clarification needed][citation needed] The flagship pro-democracy group, the Democratic Party, once the largest party in the Legislative Council, is planning to dissolve in 2025. Media sources indicated Chinese government has pressed for the closure of the "worthless" party, which was unable to run in the 2021 and 2023 "patriot-only" elections. Reportedly also under pressure, the League of Social Democrats disbanded in late June. The pro-democracy camp is considered to have come to an end without any active political groups.
The new rules also reduced the portion of directly elected seats to around 22%, which was considered by democratic watchdogs as a decrease in democratic values. Hong Kong Economic Journal said some members from the business sector recommended Beijing authorities to draw up a timeline to gradually reintroduce more elected seats in order to improve Hong Kong's international image and align with the Basic Law article. Third Side, the only self-claimed moderate group in the Legislative Council, and Path of Democracy, an extra-parliamentary moderate group, expressed the hope that an electoral reform would be initiated by the government in due course. However, it was speculated by media that the moderates would also be barred from legislative races as they are "no longer needed in a patriotic administration".
Retirement wave
Announcements
On 29 September, Andrew Leung, who served as president of the legislature for nine years, made a surprise announcement that he would stand down from the legislature, citing his age and his family. He said he hoped this would give capable candidates time to prepare sufficiently for the election. His decision further raised speculation about an age limit of 70 for lawmakers, although Leung said it was solely his personal decision. While recalling his nine-year leadership, Leung said the Legislative Council successfully ended the opposition's disruption. Possible successors for the presidency include Starry Lee and Chan Chun-ying. Ma Fung-kwok, 70, announced his retirement on the same day as Leung, also citing his age.
Two veteran legislators, 76-year-old Liberal Party leader Tommy Cheung and Chan Kin-por, 71, confirmed their intention not to seek another term on 11 October. Cheung said he had carefully considered his decision with the development of the One Country, Two Systems, while Chan said he would be passing the baton to younger rank to run for the election. The sole self-branded "non-establishment" moderate member Tik Chi-yuen was also stepping down, saying a younger colleague from his party Third Side will run only as the party did not gather enough funding to support his re-election. More lawmakers dropped out in the next few days, including 72-year-old Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong chairman Lo Wai-kwok, pro-Beijing camp's unofficial convenor Martin Liao, aged 68, and Roundtable convener Michael Tien. Outspoken lawmakers such as Doreen Kong opted to stand down as well, and dismissed claims that she was forced to do so. The two remaining legislators over 70, Regina Ip and Lai Tung-kwok of the New People's Party (NPP), confirmed their retirement on 25 October. Another outspoken member Paul Tse did not submit nomination for the election, saying that "silence speaks louder than words", and thereby ending his 17-year career in the assembly.
As a result, 35 incumbent legislators did not seek re-election, more than half having served only one term. All 12 incumbents who were over 70 chose not to seek re-election, while the other 23 decided against staying in the legislature likely because of their unsatisfactory performance, or vocal criticisms on some government policies, or to pave way for succession within the party.
Reactions
The unprecedentedly large wave of retirements sparked claims that Beijing imposed an age limit for lawmakers and demanded a major upheaval of the composition, although the officials denied "blessing" or giving "special treatment" for candidates. John Lee, the Chief Executive, said the departures are normal and personal decisions by the lawmakers and the Executive Council will not be reshuffled after ExCo members left the LegCo. Lee added the generational succession is a positive sign for the Legislative Council. However, the farewell motion, which is tabled by convention at the last meeting to mark the end of the term, was withdrawn in light of possible "sensitive remarks" and giving undue advantages to legislators before the election. A farewell banquet for LegCo members and John Lee was also cancelled.
Both Chinese government and John Lee strongly rebutted claims that Beijing has "blessed" any hopefuls in the election and condemned "anti-China" forces for ongoing attempts to sabotage, disrupt, and discredit the patriots-only election through spreading rumours of Chinese interference. They also praised the retiring incumbents for their nobility and upright characters.
According to John Burns, emeritus professor of politics at the University of Hong Kong, China has sought to strengthen its influence in the legislature after this retirement wave, with younger candidates linked to the mainland emerging in their place. He claimed that China’s representative office "carefully curates" electoral contests to ensure preferred candidates win.
List of departing incumbents
| Departing incumbents | Constituency | * | Entered LegCo in | Party | Age | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Leung | Industrial (First) | FC | 2004 | BPA | 74 | Announced on 29 September 2025, citing age | |
| Ma Fung-kwok | Election Committee | 1996 (PLC) Continuously since 2012 | New Forum | 70 | Announced on 29 September 2025, citing age | ||
| Tik Chi-yuen | Social Welfare | FC | 1991 Continuously since 2021 | Third Side | 68 | Announced on 10 October 2025 | |
| Chan Kin-por | Insurance | FC | 2008 | Independent | 71 | Announced on 11 October 2025 | |
| Tommy Cheung | Catering | FC | 2000 | Liberal | 76 | Announced on 11 October 2025 | |
| Kennedy Wong | Import and Export | FC | 1996 (PLC) Continuously since 2021 | DAB | 62 | Announced on 11 October 2025, to devote more time to NPC | |
| Gary Zhang | New Territories North | GC | 2021 | New Prospect | 36 | Announced on 12 October 2025, due to family reasons | |
| Jeffrey Lam | Commercial (First) | FC | 2004 | BPA | 74 | Announced on 12 October 2025, to focus on businesses | |
| Connie Lam | New Territories South East | GC | 2021 | PP | 38 | Announced on 12 October 2025, to pursue doctoral studies and career | |
| Frankie Yick | Transport | FC | 2012 | Liberal | 72 | Announced on 13 October 2025 | |
| Lo Wai-kwok | Engineering | FC | 2012 | BPA | 72 | Announced on 13 October 2025 | |
| Chow Man-kong | Election Committee | 2021 | Independent | 44 | Announced on 13 October 2025 | ||
| Martin Liao | Commercial (Second) | FC | 2012 | Independent | 68 | Announced on 14 October 2025 | |
| Dennis Lam | Election Committee | 2021 | Independent | 66 | Announced on 15 October 2025, to focus on own career | ||
| Louis Loong | Real Estate and Construction | FC | 2021 | BPA | 74 | Announced on 15 October 2025, to focus on business association's affairs | |
| Michael Tien | New Territories North West | GC | 2012 | Roundtable | 75 | Announced on 20 October 2025 | |
| Tony Tse | Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape | FC | 2012 Continuously since 2018 | Independent | 71 | Announced on 20 October 2025 | |
| Lau Kwok-fan | New Territories North | GC | 2016 | DAB | 44 | Not included in DAB's line-up announced on 21 October 2025 | |
| Leung Hei | Hong Kong Island East | GC | 2021 | DAB | 40 | ||
| Stanley Li | New Territories South East | GC | 2021 | DAB | 42 | ||
| Lillian Kwok | Election Committee | 2021 | DAB | 46 | |||
| Doreen Kong | Election Committee | 2021 | Independent | 55 | Announced on 22 October 2025 | ||
| So Cheung-wing | Election Committee | 2021 | Independent | 65 | Announced on 23 October 2025 | ||
| Regina Ip | Hong Kong Island West | GC | 2008 | NPP | 75 | Not included in NPP's line-up announced on 25 October 2025 | |
| Lai Tung-kwok | Election Committee | 2021 | NPP | 74 | |||
| Eunice Yung | Election Committee | 2016 | NPP | 48 | |||
| Chu Kwok-keung | Education | FC | 2021 | FEW | 51 | Announced on 25 October 2025, to focus on education affairs | |
| Benson Luk | Election Committee | 2021 | BPA | 42 | Announced on 27 October 2025 | ||
| Ambrose Lam | Legal | FC | 2021 | Independent | 64 | Announced on 5 November 2025, to devote more time to law firm | |
| Shang Hailong | Election Committee | 2022 | Independent | 43 | Announced on 6 November 2025 | ||
| Chan Yuet-ming | Election Committee | 2021 | Independent | 53 | |||
| Tan Yueheng | Election Committee | 2021 | Independent | 63 | |||
| Kenneth Leung | Election Committee | 2021 | Independent | 41 | |||
| Wendy Hong | Election Committee | 2021 | Independent | 50 | |||
| Paul Tse | Election Committee | 2008 | Independent | 66 | Did not submit nomination | ||
Contesting parties and candidates
A total of 161 nominations were received to run, seven more than the previous election, with 107 of them being newcomers. Nearly half, 13 of the 28 functional constituencies, were contested by new faces. South China Morning Post noted that 30% of the 161 candidates had links to mainland Chinese firms, a 50% increase from 2021, which indicated the prominence of mainland capital in Hong Kong's economy. Up to 16 of the Hong Kong's 36 National People's Congress (NPC) deputies also registered to run in the election, more than double the seven in the 2021 election, alongside at least 12 members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). All 161 competitors were cleared to contest by the vetting panel Candidate Eligibility Review Committee, as announced on 10 November.
- Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB): DAB endorsed 26 candidates including 13 for the ten directly elected constituencies, hoping to win all two seats in each of the three constituencies. Five DAB members will run in functional constituencies, and the remaining eight will fight for seats selected by the Election Committee. 14 out of the 26 are incumbent legislators.
- New Territories Association of Societies (NTAS): Tam Chun-kwok, chairman of the NTAS, an umbrella group of the local societies in the New Territories, which usually ran under the DAB ticket, made a solo bid for the New Territories North constituency, hoping to win two seats together with DAB.
- Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA): Five of the current BPA legislators decided not to run, including incumbents Andrew Leung, also the LegCo President, Jeffrey Lam and party chairman Lo Wai-kwok. The party ran 14 candidates in the election, including four seeking re-election. The party endorse four candidates to run in direct elections, and five new candidates to run in the four functional constituencies held by the retiring incumbents, including the Commercial (First) constituency where two candidates from BPA would compete to succeed Andrew Leung.
- Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU): All seven current legislators are seeking another term, making the FTU the only major party with no serving members quitting the legislature. Along with the nine new faces, the FTU is putting forward 16 candidates in total, with nine in direct elections, three in functional constituencies, and four in the Election Committee constituency.
- New People's Party (NPP) and Civil Force (CF): The NPP saw half of its incumbents not seeking for re-election, including founding chairwoman Regina Ip, also an Executive Councillor and two vice-chairs Lai Tung-kwok and Eunice Yung. It planned to field eight candidates, including five newcomers vying for seats in direct elections. Incumbent Judy Chan is switching to Hong Kong Island West from the Election Committee constituency in order to hold Ip's seat.
- Liberal Party: The Liberals also saw half of its four incumbents stepping down, including the longest-serving member in the LegCo, Tommy Cheung. The party slated to send five candidates for the election. Apart from the two legislators running for re-election, two hopefuls backed by the party will run in direct elections, while a third would seek to hold Tommy Cheung's seat after his retirement. It also marked the first time that Liberals would be absent from the race for the Transport constituency since its creation in 1998, after not endorsing any candidate to succeed Frankie Yick.
- Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers (FEW): Chairman Lau Chi-pang and President Wong Kam-leung ran for the Election Committee constituency, while incumbent Tang Fei switched to the Education constituency, replacing retiring Chu Kwok-keung. Ray Cheung Chak-chung, Associate vice-president of the City University of Hong Kong and FEW vice-chairman, also ran in the Education constituency against Tang, but did not register with his FEW affiliation, same as Wong and Tang.
- Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (FLU): Chairman Lam Chun-sing and Secretary-General Chau Siu-chung ran for re-election. Tam Kam-lin, director-general of the Hong Kong Safety Supervisors Association (HKSSA), is also a member of the FLU.
- Roundtable: Following convener Michael Tien's retirement, Mark Chong Ho-fung, director-general of the party, would stand as a candidate in Tien's New Territories North West constituency.
- Kowloon West New Dynamic (KWND): Scott Leung from the local district-based party ran in Kowloon West for a second term.
- Professional Power (PP): Christine Fong, leader of the Tseung Kwan O local group, made her sixth election bid after Connie Lam, whom she mentored, stood down from the Legislative Council and subsequently joined the NPP.
- PoD Research Institute (PoD): Allan Wong, an appointed member of the Yuen Long District Council, and Jeffrey Chan are nominated to run for a seat in New Territories North East and Kowloon East. Wong and Chan are the only two candidates considered to be "non-core establishment members"; both did not declare their affiliation with PoD.
Several district councillors joined the direct election as independents, including Kowloon City's Kitson Yang, who is seeking re-election as representative of Kowloon Central. Vivian Kong, Olympic gold medalist in fencing, stood in the Tourism constituency after her foreign residency barred her to run in direct elections. Kong denied reports that she had considered making a bid in direct elections, and confirmed that she had applied to give up her Canadian passport.
The only moderate political party with a pro-democracy background, Third Side, which held one seat in the legislature, originally aimed at winning two geographical constituencies as a breakthrough and keeping one functional constituency. Its single candidate failed to get enough nominations from each sector of the Election Committee, meaning that the party would lose all its representation in the upcoming LegCo. The New Prospect for Hong Kong, a political party catering to mainland drifters in Hong Kong, did not put forward any candidate, after its sole incumbent Gary Zhang did not seek for re-election.
List of incumbents switching constituencies
| Party | Incumbent | Elected constituency | Standing constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAB (2) | Chan Han-pan | New Territories South West | Election Committee | |
| Steven Ho | Agriculture and Fisheries | Election Committee | ||
| FTU (3) | Dennis Leung | Labour | Election Committee | |
| Kwok Wai-keung | Labour | Hong Kong Island West | ||
| Luk Chung-hung | Election Committee | New Territories North West | ||
| NPP (1) | Judy Chan | Election Committee | Hong Kong Island West | |
| FEW (1) | Tang Fei | Election Committee | Education | |
| Independent (2) | Yiu Pak-leung | Tourism | Election Committee | |
| Chan Pui-leung | Election Committee | Insurance | ||
Campaign
All election-related activities were suspended following the Wang Fuk Court fire on 26 November for the government to be fully engaged in handling the disaster. Election forums and electioneering by all major parties were cancelled. Despite calls to postpone the election, John Lee confirmed on 2 December, after the end of the three-day mourning period, that the election would go ahead as planned.
Election forums
The Hong Kong government announced that it would hold 39 election forums starting from 11 November. Local media reported that several media organisations, including three television stations, had planned to hold "around eight to nine" election forums, but were called off suddenly, as candidates decided to only attend government forums due to time and stress. Government officials declined to comment whether the candidates were required to attend only government-organised forums. However, the forums were criticised for lacking debate between the candidates, and the authorities reportedly encouraged more interaction in the following forums. Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan said the government is hoping for a "higher-level" debate without insults, foul language, or other tactics seen in past debates.
The content of an i-CABLE News interview which showed campaign workers who attended the forum unable to recall the candidates' names and admitting that the were arranged to participate without knowing its details was taken down a few hours after airing, but was not reported by mainstream Hong Kong media.
Turnout campaign
The previous Legislative Council election recorded a historic low turnout of 30.2% despite widespread campaigning. In this election, the government allocated 1.28 billion dollars for advertising, marking an increase of over 50%. However, the pro-Beijing side expected another election with limited participation due to the 2025 National Games of China, taking place in November and December and to be held in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau for the first time, shifting the public's attention. Aiming for at least a turnout of 30%, they believed a costly advertising campaign, similar to the 2023 local elections, could be criticized as a waste of public money when the government's deficit remains troublesome. Erick Tsang, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, said the government does not have a benchmark for the turnout.
Four major business chambers – the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC), the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong (CMA), the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI) and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) – issued a joint statement in early November to incentivise their staff to vote, by pledging to give their workers half-day paid leave. The Travel Industry Council called upon local travel agencies to delay the departure time of their group tours to give travellers enough time to cast their votes.
On 11 November, the Labour and Welfare Bureau announced that it would provide a one-off subsidy of HK$20,000 to elderly centres and district support centres for persons with disabilities for arranging transportation and staff to take elderly people with disabilities and their caregivers to polling stations to vote, and to provide care services to the elderly and persons with disabilities while the caregivers were at polling station.
The Electoral Affairs Commission announced on 14 November that it would, for the first time, set up dedicated polling stations for elderly, disabled, medical staff, ethnic minorities and civil servants and disciplined services personnel on duty on polling day. Three polling stations would also be set up near the boundary at Sheung Shui, the Hong Kong Port of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Hong Kong International Airport. The voting hours would last 16 hours, extending two more hours from the 2021 election. Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said the bureau had sent instructions to all bureau and department heads to establish a support centre at their respective departments on polling day in order to mobilise over 50,000 civil servants to help out and take all necessary measures to facilitate their voting, with compensation leave or overtime allowance granted for those who were on duty.
Arrests
Hong Kong police arrested over 29 people for alleged criminal damage to posters, in what he said were believed to be separate cases. The National Security Department also arrested a 68-year-old local man for allegedly posting comments on social media encouraging people not to vote or cast invalid ballots in the election. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) arrested 11 on suspicion of inciting others not to vote or to cast invalid votes by reposting online posts, and issued arrest warrants for exiled activists Alan Keung Ka-wai, who participated in the exiled pro-independence group Hong Kong Parliament, and Tong Wai-hung, protester who was acquitted of rioting charges in the 2019 Sheung Wan clashes, for allegedly inciting others not to vote in the election. Another was placed on the wanted list on the day of election.
Chief Executive John Lee vowed to take a hard line against any disruptions to the election. Beijing's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office also shared a strongly worded commentary urging vigilance against attempts to jeopardise the election, saying that local law enforcement would not "sit back and do nothing". The Office for Safeguarding National Security stated some individuals both inside and outside had launched "various attacks, smears and slanders" against the election, "inciting people not to vote or to cast blank votes" and "deliberately damaging election campaign materials". It criticised "some anti-China and pro-chaos forces" with "evil nature" for attempting to weaken the legitimacy of the new electoral system and democratic development process, endanger Hong Kong's good governance and national security, adding that it firmly supported the Hong Kong government in cracking down on any interference and disruption. It published another statement later accusing the "anti-China and pro-chaos" elements and external forces for their "unrepentant evil intentions" and "unyielding malice", vowing to defend election security and order with a "zero-tolerance" attitude.
Results
Despite massive publicity across the city, The election resulted only in a 31.9% voter turnout—a slight increase from the 2021 election but still lower than the 52.3% turnout in 2016. The total votes cast in the geographical constituencies also decreased from 2021 by 33,000, and registration decreased by 7.64%. The Chinese authorities nonetheless claimed the voter participation "all far surpassed the previous term", adding that the election successfully demonstrated "high-quality democracy" and the results "fully represent the will of Hong Kong people".
DAB emerged as the largest party again, holding 20 seats in the Legislative Council, one more than the last term. The party faced criticism after one of their members was involved in the renovation works at Wang Fuk Court, forcing the party chair to rebut "slander and false accusations". FTU retained their seven seats after their defeat in Election Committee constituency and in direct elections, while BPA continued to rank second with eight seats, one less than last session. NPP's seats halved from 6 to 3, making them the fourth largest and the Liberal Party the third with their four legislators. Professional Power's Christine Fong finally entered Legislative Council on her sixth attempt and topped the geographical constituencies with 58,828 votes.
| Political affiliation | Geographical Constituencies | Functional Constituencies | ECC seats | Total seats | ± | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Seats | Votes | % | ±pp | Seats | ||||||
| Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong | 432,473 | 33.88 | 17.55 | 10 | 4,943 | 6.86 | 5.41 | 2 | 8 | 20 | 1 | ||
| Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong | 38,602 | 3.02 | N/A | 0 | 4,418 | 6.13 | 1.91 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 1 | ||
| Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions | 260,303 | 20.39 | 5.86 | 3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | ||
| Liberal Party | 32,371 | 2.54 | N/A | 0 | 2,471 | 3.43 | 1.15 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||
| New People's Party | 147,113 | 11.52 | 0.17 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions | – | – | – | – | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 | |||
| Professional Power | 58,828 | 4.61 | 1.72 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |||
| New Territories Association of Societies | 41,657 | 3.26 | N/A | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | N/A | ||
| Roundtable | 34,756 | 2.72 | 0.30 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |||
| Kowloon West New Dynamic | 25,692 | 2.01 | 0.77 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |||
| Hong Kong Safety Supervisors Association | – | – | – | – | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0 | – | 0 | New | ||
| Federation of Public Housing Estates | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | N/A | ||
| Independents | 204,738 | 16.04 | N/A | 1 | 60,191 | 83.57 | N/A | 16 | 23 | 40 | 3 | ||
| Total for pro-Beijing camp | 1,276,533 | 100.00 | 6.23 | 20 | 72,023 | 100.00 | 16.14 | 30 | 40 | 90 | 1 | ||
| Total | 1,276,533 | 100.00 | 20 | 72,023 | 100.00 | 30 | 40 | 90 | |||||
| Valid votes | 1,276,533 | 96.88 | 72,023 | 94.57 | |||||||||
| Invalid votes | 41,449 | 3.12 | 1.08 | 4,136 | 5.43 | 0.32 | |||||||
| Votes cast / turnout | 1,317,682 | 31.90 | 1.70 | 76,942 | 40.09 | 7.87 | |||||||
| Registered voters | 4,131,298 | 100.00 | 7.64 | 191,916 | 100.00 | 12.29 | |||||||
Source: https://www.elections.gov.hk/legco2025/eng/results.html
Defeated incumbents
Four incumbents were defeated in this election. Kwok Wai-keung and Luk Chung-hung, who have been lawmakers since 2012 and 2016, failed to secure their foothold in the parliament after defeats in direct elections. Ngan Man-yu lost to another DAB candidate Cheung Pui-kong, and Edmund Wong to an independent.
| Party | Candidate | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTU (2) | Kwok Wai-keung | Hong Kong Island West | |
| Luk Chung-hung | New Territories North West | ||
| DAB (2) | Ngan Man-yu | Kowloon East | |
| Edmund Wong | Accountancy | ||
Results breakdown
An asterisk (*) denotes that the incumbent candidate was seeking re-election.
Election Committee constituency (40 seats)
Twenty-four incumbents formed an informal pact with the eight candidates who are NPC or CPPCC members (Lau Ka-keung, Wong Kam-leung, Roy Chu, Ginny Man, Ngai Ming-tak, Andrew Fan, Thomas So, and Ma Kwong-yu), hoping to secure stronger support from the Election Committee members.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Yiu Pak-leung* | 1,397 | 95.95 | ||
| Independent | Chan Hoi-yan* | 1,386 | 95.19 | ||
| Independent | Hoey Simon Lee* | 1,360 | 93.41 | ||
| Liberal | Michael Lee Chun-keung* | 1,354 | 92.99 | ||
| DAB (NTAS) | Ben Chan Han-pan* | 1,348 | 92.58 | ||
| Independent | Ngai Ming-tak | 1,345 | 92.38 | ||
| DAB | Rock Chen Chung-nin* | 1,343 | 92.24 | ||
| Independent | Johnny Ng Kit-chong* | 1,331 | 91.41 | ||
| Independent | William Wong Kam-fai* | 1,329 | 91.28 | ||
| DAB | Elizabeth Quat* | 1,321 | 91.73 | ||
| BPA (KWND) | Priscilla Leung Mei-fun* | 1,316 | 90.38 | ||
| FLU | Lam Chun-sing* | 1,311 | 90.04 | ||
| Independent | Maggie Chan Man-ki* | 1,311 | 90.04 | ||
| Independent | Ginny Man Wing-yee | 1,308 | 89.84 | ||
| FEW | Lau Chi-pang* | 1,275 | 87.57 | ||
| Independent | Chan Siu-hung* | 1,273 | 87.43 | ||
| DAB | Chan Wing-kwong* | 1,269 | 87.16 | ||
| Independent | Carmen Kan Wai-mun* | 1,268 | 87.09 | ||
| DAB (NTAS) | Steven Ho Chun-yin* | 1,267 | 87.02 | ||
| Independent | Junius Ho Kwan-yiu* | 1,241 | 85.23 | ||
| Independent | Peter Douglas Koon Ho-ming* | 1,233 | 84.68 | ||
| Independent | Lau Ka-keung | 1,231 | 84.55 | ||
| NPP | Adrian Pedro Ho King-hong* | 1,210 | 83.10 | ||
| FEW | Wong Kam-leung | 1,201 | 82.49 | ||
| Independent | Albert Chuang Ka-pun | 1,194 | 82.01 | ||
| Independent | Elvin Lee Ka-kui | 1,193 | 81.94 | ||
| Independent | Andrew Lam Siu-lo* | 1,189 | 81.66 | ||
| FTU | Kingsley Wong Kwok* | 1,187 | 81.52 | ||
| Independent (FEW) | Ng Wun-kit | 1,164 | 79.95 | ||
| DAB | Nixie Lam Lam* | 1,160 | 79.67 | ||
| Independent | Andrew Fan Chun-wah | 1,155 | 79.33 | ||
| DAB | Roy Chu Lap-wai | 1,144 | 78.57 | ||
| FTU | Dennis Leung Tsz-wing* | 1,089 | 74.79 | ||
| Independent | Thomas So Shiu-tsung | 1,076 | 73.90 | ||
| BPA (KWND) | Michelle Tang Ming-sum | 1,073 | 73.70 | ||
| Independent | Chan Cho-kwong | 1,067 | 73.28 | ||
| Independent | Alan Chan Chung-yee | 1,066 | 73.21 | ||
| DAB | Hung Kam-in | 1,042 | 71.57 | ||
| Independent | Fan Hoi-kit | 1,034 | 71.02 | ||
| Independent | Wu Yingpeng | 1,002 | 68.82 | ||
| Independent | Fung Ying-lun | 988 | 67.86 | ||
| Independent | Yolanda Ng Yuen-ting | 970 | 66.62 | ||
| Independent | Tang Wing-chun | 954 | 65.52 | ||
| Independent | Lau Chun-kong | 954 | 65.52 | ||
| Independent | Andrew Kwok Chi-wah | 947 | 65.04 | ||
| Independent | Chen Shaobo | 937 | 64.35 | ||
| FTU | Ma Kwong-yu | 934 | 64.15 | ||
| FPHE | Chiu Kwok-wai | 887 | 60.92 | ||
| Independent | Kevin Orr Ka-yeung | 813 | 55.84 | ||
| FTU | Tsang Chi-man | 793 | 54.46 | ||
| Total valid votes | 1,456 | 99.86 | |||
| Rejected ballots | 2 | 0.14 | |||
| Turnout | 1,458 | 99.45 | |||
| Registered electors | 1,466 | ||||
Functional constituencies (30 seats)
| Constituency | Candidates | Affiliation | Votes | % | Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heung Yee Kuk | Kenneth Lau Ip-keung* | BPA | 119 | 83.80 | Re-elected | |
| Lau Kai-hong | Independent | 23 | 16.20 | |||
| Agriculture and Fisheries | Chan Pok-chi | DAB | 82 | 50.93 | Hold for DAB | |
| Yeung Sheung-chun | Independent | 79 | 49.07 | |||
| Insurance | Chan Pui-leung* | Independent | 48 | 54.55 | Re-elected | |
| Simon Lam Yat-tung | Independent | 40 | 45.45 | |||
| Transport | Lothair Lam Ming-fung | Independent | 162 | 85.71 | Gain from Liberal | |
| Feng Jiapei | Independent | 27 | 14.29 | |||
| Education | Tang Fei* | Independent (FEW) | 13,759 | 55.11 | Re-elected | |
| Ray Cheung Chak-chung | Independent (FEW) | 11,206 | 44.89 | |||
| Legal | Nicholas Chan Hiu-fung | Liberal | 1,543 | 67.20 | Gain from independent | |
| Virginia Lee Wing-cheung | Independent | 753 | 32.80 | |||
| Accountancy | Webster Ng Kam-wah | Independent | 4,389 | 54.81 | Gain from DAB | |
| Edmund Wong Chun-sek* | DAB | 3,618 | 45.19 | |||
| Medical and Health Services | David Lam Tzit-yuen* | Independent | 11,739 | 70.60 | Re-elected | |
| John Leung Lai-yin | Independent | 4,889 | 29.40 | |||
| Engineering | Aaron Bok Kwok-ming | BPA | 3,058 | 56.26 | Hold for BPA | |
| Wilton Fok Wai-tung | Independent | 2,377 | 43.74 | |||
| Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape | Julia Lau Man-kwan | Independent | 2,157 | 51.39 | Gain from independent | |
| Francis Lam Ka-fai | Independent | 2,040 | 48.61 | |||
| Labour (3 seats) | Chau Siu-chung* | FLU | 521 | – | Re-elected | |
| Lam Wai-kong | FTU | 506 | – | Hold for FTU | ||
| Lee Kwong-yu | FTU | 485 | – | Hold for FTU | ||
| Tam Kam-lin | SSA | 297 | – | |||
| So Pak-tsan | FTU | 281 | – | |||
| Social Welfare | Grace Chan Man-yee | Independent | 2,179 | 46.79 | Gain from TS | |
| Fong Fu-fai | Independent | 1,755 | 37.69 | |||
| Chu Lai-ling | DAB | 723 | 15.53 | |||
| Real Estate and Construction | Augustine Wong Ho-ming | Independent | 316 | 67.81 | Gain from BPA | |
| Howard Chao | BPA | 150 | 32.19 | |||
| Tourism | Vivian Kong Man-wai | Independent | 131 | 85.06 | Gain from independent | |
| Ma Yat-chiu | Independent | 23 | 14.94 | |||
| Commercial (First) | Jonathan Stuart Lamport | BPA | 404 | 58.81 | Hold for BPA | |
| Felix Lee Kar-chung | Independent | 283 | 41.19 | |||
| Commercial (Second) | Andrew Yao Cho-fai | Independent | 194 | 85.46 | Gain from independent | |
| Ivan Wong Siu-kei | Independent | 33 | 14.54 | |||
| Commercial (Third) | Erik Yim Kong* | Independent | 199 | 65.25 | Re-elected | |
| Cheung Ki-tang | DAB | 106 | 34.75 | |||
| Industrial (First) | Ray Wong Wing-wai | BPA | 153 | 64.02 | Hold for BPA | |
| Terrence Hui Man-chun | BPA | 86 | 35.98 | |||
| Industrial (Second) | Jimmy Ng Wing-ka* | BPA | 246 | 79.87 | Re-elected | |
| Wong Wai-leung | Independent | 62 | 20.13 | |||
| Finance | Chan Chun-ying* | Independent | 42 | 56.00 | Re-elected | |
| Ip Tsz-kin | Independent | 33 | 44.00 | |||
| Financial Services | Robert Lee Wai-wang* | Independent | 227 | 58.35 | Re-elected | |
| Lian Shaodong | Independent | 162 | 41.65 | |||
| Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication | Kenneth Fok Kai-kong* | Independent | 193 | 85.02 | Re-elected | |
| Lo Kwong-ping | Independent | 34 | 14.98 | |||
| Import and Export | Chung Ki-fung | Independent | 137 | 55.92 | Gain from DAB | |
| Sophia Lee Shuk-woon | Independent | 108 | 44.08 | |||
| Textiles and Garment | Sunny Tan* | BPA | 202 | 87.45 | Re-elected | |
| Shiu King-wah | Independent | 29 | 12.55 | |||
| Wholesale and Retail | Peter Shiu Ka-fai* | Liberal | 827 | 84.73 | Re-elected | |
| Annie Tse Yau On-yee | Independent | 149 | 15.27 | |||
| Technology and Innovation | Duncan Chiu* | Independent | 65 | 91.55 | Re-elected | |
| Mak Hin-yu | Independent | 6 | 8.45 | |||
| Catering | Jonathan Leung Chun | Liberal | 101 | 82.11 | Hold for Liberal | |
| Maurice Kong Chi-hang | Independent | 22 | 17.89 | |||
| HKSAR members of NPC and CPPCC, representatives of national organisations | Chan Yung* | DAB/NTAS | 414 | 77.38 | Re-elected | |
| Lai Tat-shing | Independent | 121 | 22.62 | |||
Geographical constituencies (20 seats)
| Constituency | Candidates | Affiliation | Votes | % | Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong Island East | Stanley Ng Chau-pei* | FTU | 39,707 | 33.86 | Re-elected | |
| Elaine Chik Kit-ling | DAB | 22,054 | 18.81 | Hold for DAB | ||
| Kenny Yuen Kin-chung | Liberal | 21,696 | 18.50 | |||
| Annie Lee Ching-har | DAB | 16,458 | 14.04 | |||
| Calvin Kwok Ho-king | NPP | 17,344 | 14.79 | |||
| Hong Kong Island West | Chan Hok-fung* | DAB | 30,543 | 29.29 | Re-elected | |
| Judy Chan Kapui* | NPP | 30,033 | 28.80 | Hold for NPP & Re-elected | ||
| Kwok Wai-keung* | FTU | 25,643 | 24.59 | |||
| Jeremy Young Chit-on | Liberal | 10,675 | 10.24 | |||
| Joyce Wong Chau-ping | Independent | 7,384 | 7.08 | |||
| Kowloon East | Bill Tang Ka-piu* | FTU | 53,675 | 38.41 | Re-elected | |
| Cheung Pui-kong | DAB | 29,116 | 20.84 | Hold for DAB | ||
| Leung Sze-wan | Independent | 28,834 | 20.64 | |||
| Ngan Man-yu* | DAB | 24,250 | 17.35 | |||
| Jeffrey Chan Chun-hung | Independent (PoD) | 3,855 | 2.76 | |||
| Kowloon West | Vincent Cheng Wing-shun* | DAB | 41,767 | 40.14 | Re-elected | |
| Scott Leung Man-kwong* | KWND | 25,692 | 24.69 | Re-elected | ||
| Lau Oi-sze | Independent | 15,708 | 15.10 | |||
| Haywood Guan Weixi | Independent | 13,592 | 13.06 | |||
| Jeffrey Pong Chiu-fai | BPA | 7,285 | 7.00 | |||
| Kowloon Central | Starry Lee Wai-king* | DAB | 53,529 | 41.16 | Re-elected | |
| Kitson Yang Wing-kit* | Independent | 28,161 | 21.65 | Re-elected | ||
| Yeung Nok-hin | Independent | 15,734 | 12.10 | |||
| Yau Yiu-sing | FTU | 12,527 | 9.63 | |||
| Tam Lee-yee | Independent | 12,487 | 9.60 | |||
| Lee Chiu-yu | BPA | 7,615 | 5.86 | |||
| New Territories South East | Christine Fong Kwok-shan | PP | 58,828 | 42.26 | Hold for PP | |
| Chris Ip Ngo-tung | DAB | 26,250 | 18.86 | Hold for DAB | ||
| Victor Chan Chi-ho | NPP/CF | 18,797 | 13.50 | |||
| Chris Cheung Mei-hung | Independent | 18,681 | 13.42 | |||
| Janet Lee Ching-yee | FTU | 16,636 | 11.95 | |||
| New Territories North | Tam Chun-kwok | NTAS | 41,657 | 33.25 | Gain from New Prospect | |
| Yiu Ming | DAB | 33,389 | 26.65 | Hold for DAB | ||
| Wilson Shum Ho-kit | Independent | 22,415 | 17.89 | |||
| Kent Tsang King-chung | FTU | 17,930 | 14.31 | |||
| Michael Liu Tsz-chung | NPP/CF | 9,880 | 7.89 | |||
| New Territories North West | Holden Chow Ho-ding* | DAB | 42,347 | 30.64 | Re-elected | |
| Mark Chong Ho-fung | Roundtable | 34,756 | 25.15 | Hold for Roundtable | ||
| Leung Ming-kin | Independent | 25,936 | 18.77 | |||
| Luk Chung-hung* | FTU | 23,282 | 16.84 | |||
| Kam Man-fung | NPP | 11,893 | 8.60 | |||
| New Territories South West | Joephy Chan Wing-yan* | FTU | 52,900 | 35.54 | Re-elected | |
| Jody Kwok Fu-yung | DAB | 37,020 | 24.87 | Hold for DAB | ||
| Lo Yuen-ting | DAB | 34,138 | 22.93 | |||
| Marcella Cheung Man-ka | NPP | 16,417 | 11.03 | |||
| Mok Yee-ki | BPA | 8,383 | 5.63 | |||
| New Territories North East | Dominic Lee Tsz-king* | NPP/CF | 42,749 | 32.98 | Re-elected | |
| Gary Chan Hak-kan* | DAB/NTAS | 41,612 | 32.10 | Re-elected | ||
| Ku Wai-ping | FTU | 18,003 | 13.89 | |||
| Calvin Tang Siu-fung | BPA | 15,319 | 11.82 | |||
| Allan Wong Wing-ho | Independent (PoD) | 11,951 | 9.22 | |||
Analysis
The sweeping change in the composition of the Legislative Council, with at least 40% set to be first-time members, paved way for Beijing to replace the traditional establishment nurtured during the colonial era with younger and more disciplined loyalists, as well as mainland Chinese who would coordinate more closely. The election also signaled a defeat for Hong Kong drifters (gang piao, young, educated migrants from mainland China) and moderates, after three legislators from the former camp (Gary Zhang, Shang Hailong, and Wendy Hong) chose to serve only one term, and the moderate Third Side failed to gather enough nominations. The new session would also be composed of more "national team" members, meaning managers from Chinese enterprises or state-run companies. Separately, more than two dozen NPC members and two dozen CPPCC members joining the race at a time when more local elites were getting involved in national politics has resulted in a "revolving door" phenomenon.[further explanation needed]
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