London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 29, 2025

Democratic Party not making things difficult for members to run in election: chairman

Democratic Party not making things difficult for members to run in election: chairman

The Democratic Party has rejected claims that it was making things difficult for the four non-pro-establishment candidates in next month’s Legislative Council elections when asking them for their stance on sensitive political issues before offering support.
After the four wrote to ask for the support from the party earlier this month, the largest pro-democracy party asked them to take a stance on issues including the revamped electoral system, enactment of Basic Law Article 23, police brutality and the HK$642-billion Lantau Tomorrow mega development plan.

Party chairman Lo Kin-hei denied they are intentionally making things difficult for the candidates, but he and his partymates need to know the philosophy of the candidate that they are supporting.

“I do not want my partymates to be supporting someone that has a belief completely opposite to ours. This is a necessary procedure if party members want to support someone outside of the party, and the procedure has been used since a long time ago,” Lo said.

One of the four candidates, Tsuen Wan district councilor Adrian Lau Cheuk-yu who will be running in the New Territories South West geographical constituency, said he hopes he could gather voters’ support from different spectrum within the pro-democracy camp.

“The Democratic Party is the biggest party within the pro-democracy camp, therefore seeking their support is very logical, and I hope I can prevent the legislature from being one that lacks plurality in voices,” Lau said.

Competing against Lau are pro-establishment Ben Chan Han-pan from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and Joephy Chan Wing-yan from the Federation of Trade Unions.

In an election forum on Sunday, DAB’s Edmund Wong Chun-sek, running in the accountancy functional constituency, was asked about his rights of abode in Britain and Canada.

Wong said his right of abode will not undermine his work in Legco once he is elected, and the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee has confirmed his eligibility, adding he will consider giving up his right of abode in other countries.

Meanwhile, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in his blog that future legislators will be able to help the government better formulate policies, given their diverse backgrounds and interests they represent.

More than 150 candidates are vying for 90 Legco seats in the December 19 elections, which Chan claimed was "balanced participation".

“Regardless, I believe there will be familiar faces in the new Legco, as well as many new blood joining,” he said. Noting that each candidate has different opinions on policies, Chan the government must do a good job in balancing these views, and give and take, as society has different needs and values.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
Corrupt UK Politician Ed Davey Demands Elon Musk’s Arrest for Supporting Democracy
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Alibaba Debuts Open-Source Deep Research Agent with Benchmarks Rivaling OpenAI
Marcos Faces Legacy-Defining Crisis as Flood Projects Scandal Sparks Massive Tide of Protests
China’s Micro-Drama Boom Turns Stalled Real Estate Projects into Lavish Film Sets
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
'Company Got 5,189 H-1B Visas, Then Laid Off 16,000 Americans': US Defends New $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Golf legend tells Omar she should be 'sent back to Somalia' after her Kirk comments
EU Set to Bar Big Tech from New Financial Data Access Scheme
China Bans Livestreaming and AI in Religion Amid Crackdown on Shaolin Temple Scandal
×