London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Hong Kong’s Democratic Party elects youngest-ever chairman, other fresh faces

Hong Kong’s Democratic Party elects youngest-ever chairman, other fresh faces

Lo Kin-hei, 36, says next moves, including how to approach the next Legislative Council elections, will require discussions with membership.

Lo Kin-hei, a rising star in Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, the city’s leading opposition faction, has become its youngest-ever chairman, pledging to work with members to explore new avenues to press its fight for democracy.

The 36-year-old, however, refused to be drawn into discussing the party’s plans for the coming Legislative Council elections, expected next summer, saying only that the newly installed leadership would discuss the issue with members.

“The meaning of the so-called frontline is very different nowadays. Whether we should give up or what direction we should take – we would like to hold thorough discussions with our members,” Lo said.

“We will not easily give up on any front, and I can assure our supporters we will do our best in whatever frontier we may be in.”


(Left to right) Democratic Party vice-chairman Lam Cheuk-ting, chairman Lo Kin-hei and vice chair Edith Leung Yik-ting after their election on Sunday.


Lo ran uncontested for the position in a Sunday poll that saw other young faces elected to the party’s governing central committee. Lo’s predecessor, Wu Chi-wai, did not seek re-election.

Lo, who had served as a party vice-chairman since 2012 and more recently assumed chairmanship

of the Southern District Council, dismissed speculation that the party would become more radical or localist under younger leadership.

“I want to hold discussions with our party members and central committee colleagues to explore new ideas for the future road of the party,” Lo told reporters after the party election.

“Now we have a new leadership, and we hope we can come up with new ideas to cope with the challenges ahead. While there seems to have been a big change in the leadership, there are some basic principles of the party that will not be easily shaken.”

The party was founded in 1994 as a merger of the United Democrats of Hong Kong and the Meeting Point and was initially considered moderate within the pan-democracy camp.

Its manifesto states that it recognises Hong Kong as an inalienable part of China and supports the city’s reunification with China. It also says that the party supports the “one country, two systems” principle and “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong”, which it says is conducive to stability and prosperity.

The Democratic Party once had seven seats in the legislature along with 89 district councillors.

But all of its lawmakers, including Wu, quit the legislature together with other pan-democrats last month in protest against Beijing’s move to disqualify four of their opposition colleagues.

Polytechnic University political scientist Chan Wai-keung said the dilemma now facing the new party leadership was whether they should continue with what he saw as an increasingly “radical” approach.

“It used to be a moderate party. Under Wu Chi-wai, it turned more radical, especially after the anti-extradition bill saga last year. But the result is that they had a total loss, and now have no voice even in the legislature,” Chan said.


“But if they return to their moderate approach, it may lose the support of the young voters or the localist faction in the opposition camp.”

Chinese University political scientist Ivan Choy Chi-keung shared similar views, and said he expected the Democratic Party to adopt a more localist approach with the young leadership.

Serving as one of Lo’s deputies is former lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting. Kwun Tong district councillor Edith Leung Yik-ting was chosen as the other vice-chairman.

To keep the party’s voices heard while out of Legco, Lo said the three former legislators still on the party’s governing central committee – Lam, Wu and Andrew Wan Siu-kin – would meet the press regularly.

Separately, Lam told reporters the party would keep offering help to former Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung, who abruptly fled Hong Kong to begin self-exile in Britain.

Among the young members elected to the party’s central committee were Kwun Tong district councillor Cheng Keng-ieong, Eastern district councillors Chow Cheuk-ki and So Yat-hang, Tuen Mun district councillor Alfred Lai Chun-wing, and Yau Tsim Mong district councillor Tsang Tsz-ming.

Lo joined the Democratic Party in 2006 after graduating from the University of Hong Kong, starting out as a community officer.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×