Hong Kong’s first “patriots-only” Legislative Council completed a historic four-year term on October 24. The next general election is set to be held on December 7.

In 2021, Beijing overhauled the city’s electoral system to require all lawmakers to be patriots. The government said then that the legislature must comprise representatives who can safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, respect the country’s fundamental system and constitutional order of the city as well as maintain its prosperity and stability.

After years of gridlock in a legislature with a sizable opposition camp and in response to the 2019 anti-government protests, the Legislative Council was expanded to introduce a new Election Committee constituency while the number of directly elected seats was slashed.

All directly-elected candidates need to secure a minimum of 10 votes – at least two from across five sectors of the 1,500-strong Election Committee – before they can stand for election.

While the first term of the newly-constituted Legco was smooth and largely uneventful as cordial relations with the government meant efficient policy-making, a key concern was a politically detached public.

Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen conceded the legislative process in Hong Kong was now “boring” and rarely “sensational” but added it was a common challenge other countries also faced trying to engage constituents.

How have the current lawmakers engaged with their voters? Will voting improve in the coming election?

Here is what you need to know about Legco and the polls.

Composition of the ‘patriots-only’ Legco

The legislature used to have 70 seats, split evenly between two constituencies: popularly elected geographical constituencies and trade-based functional constituencies.

Following the overhaul in 2021, 40 Legco members – the biggest proportion – in the now expanded 90-seat legislature are chosen by a powerful Election Committee dominated by patriots. Another 30 seats are for functional constituencies, while the remaining 20 are allocated to members directly elected by general voters.

*This constituency currently has 39 lawmakers as Stephen Wong Yuen-shan resigned in 2022 to head the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit.

Legco, now and then

Back in 2021, Beijing said the “patriots-only” electoral overhaul was needed to plug loopholes exploited by anti-China elements to destabilise the city and seize power. Localist lawmakers had disrupted Legco proceedings in 2016 during their oath-taking by using anti-China slurs. In the chamber over the past decade, opposition lawmakers had used filibustering and other obstruction tactics to paralyse Legco business in a bid to block bills they deemed unpopular.

Tactics used included forcing a quorum call or asking for a count of members in attendance, maximising speaking time and submitting scores of amendments to government bills to stall unpopular bills.

All that changed with the new patriots-only Legco in 2021 as reflected in some numbers below.

Lawmakers have dismissed criticisms of the new Legco being a “rubber stamp”, as they pointed to more policies being approved to improve governance and benefit the city. Better executive-legislative relations also meant government officials had actively engaged in behind-the-scenes exchanges before officially introducing new policies, some lawmakers said.

During the term, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu introduced “antechamber exchanges” for officials to meet informally with Legco members on a regular basis, enabling lawmakers to have frank debates and not engage in public theatrics in the chamber.

Passage of bills

The Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill emerged as the sole bill vetoed in the current Legco term since January 1, 2022. On average, about 32 bills have been approved each year, marking a jump of nearly 26 per cent.

Timeline of the key bills passed and vetoed

• July 6, 2023

  District Councils (Amendment) Bill 2023
  The bill slashed the proportion of directly-elected seats on district councils from about 95 per cent to just 19 per cent.

• March 19, 2024

  Safeguarding National Security Bill
  The legislature enacted the domestic national security law, mandated under Article 23 of the Basic Law, after first attempt shelved 21 years ago in face of massive protests.

• July 3, 2024

  Social Workers Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024
  The bill allowed the city’s revamped social worker regulator to permanently disqualify those convicted of national security offences and certain crimes.

• September 10, 2025
  (Voted down in 2nd reading)

  Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill
  The bill would have recognised same-sex partnerships and granted couples some rights related to medical and after-death matters as requred by a landmark court ruling.

• September 11, 2025

  Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025
  The legislation covered eight of the 10 tobacco control measures, including a ban on the possession or use of alternative smoking products in public by April 30 2026.

• September 26, 2025

  Basic Housing Units Bill
  The bill sought to regulate the city’s notorious subdivided flats by requiring them to meet new standards for “basic housing units”.

• October 15, 2025

  Road Traffic (Amendment) (Ride-hailing Service) Bill 2025
  The law established a regulatory framework for ride-hailing services in the city.

A show of hands

About 86 per cent of bills approved – or 112 – were put to the vote at the third reading with just a show of hands between 2022 and 2025. In the previous term, only 62 per cent of bills, or 80, were voted on in this way, without a roll call.

Show of support

Distribution of lawmakers voting “yes”

Note: Excludes Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, who does not vote by convention, but voted yes in the Safeguarding National Security Bill.
The 19 roll call votes for government bills were all at the third reading, except for the Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill, which was vetoed at the second reading.

Lawmakers who voted “No” and “Abstain” the most*
(Out of the 19 roll call votes)

Legislators of the pro-business Liberal Party emerged as the group which backed the least number of government bills.

What were the key topics in Legco over the past four years?

General keywords

The Post analysed the words used in 2,460 oral and written questions and 160 motions without legislative effect raised by lawmakers over the past four years.

The review found that legislators’ focus aligned with government efforts to boost the economy and Beijing’s call for the city to integrate into national development and position itself as an international hub.

The use of relevant keywords, including “economic”, “economy”, “mainland” and “international”, surged compared with in the previous term.

Some keywords, such as “epidemic” and “police” recorded a drop in use, corresponding to a change in the situation during the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2019 social unrest.

Political keywords

The first legislature under the “patriots-only” electoral system offered more opinions on patriotism compared to discussing national security. Officials said then that Hong Kong had already transitioned from chaos to stability after Beijing imposed the national security law in 2020 in the wake of the months-long anti-government protests of the previous year.

The word “rights” was used around 34 times per year on average in the current term, a 45 per cent drop from the previous term. While “complaints” was mentioned 88 times on average per year, it marked a 40 per cent decrease from the previous Legco.

The word “freedom”, was touched on only once this term, plunged by 98 per cent, from an average of 13 mentions per year in the previous term. Tik Chi-yuen used the word in a written question last year on the number of applications and rejections for holding processions and assemblies.

Geopolitical keywords

Amid rising tensions in the volatile Sino-US relations, the Legco saw a rise in discussions on geopolitics and the trade war, compared with the previous term. But lawmakers were keener to discuss Beijing’s “Belt and Road” initiative, likely as a counter to the concern over tariffs and geopolitics.

Economic keywords

Economic development dominated legislative discourse as lawmakers were in lockstep with government efforts to revitalise Hong Kong’s sluggish economy by luring businesses and talent, and promoting Greater Bay Area integration.

After calls last year by Xia Baolong, Beijing’s key official overseeing Hong Kong’s affairs, to build up the image that “anywhere” in the city can be a visitor hotspot, legislators appeared to have centred on tourism in their questions and motions.

Livelihood keywords

Discussions in Legco on some key livelihood issues, especially housing, diminished in prominence over the past four years.

The frequency of lawmakers touching on “housing” and “land” dwindled amid a sluggish property market. The government unveiled plans to alleviate the deep-rooted shortage of homes, including the light public housing programme and regulations on notorious subdivided flats.

Their concerns about rail transport and the city’s MTR also faded.

Labour issues, on the other hand, received growing attention from legislators. The labour importation scheme was in focus, drawing more complaints when some sectors were hit by a high unemployment rate.

Other keywords

Other emerging words reflected the legislature’s focus on government ambitions to develop Hong Kong as a technological and cultural hub, in line with Beijing’s directives.

“Sports” was another word on the rise as the city dedicated itself to stepping up sports infrastructure.

Evaluation

The Post’s analysis revealed that overall attendance at Legislative Council meetings was more than 90 per cent.

But the number of questions raised during the four-year term showed a yawning gap.

Lawmakers representing geographical constituencies raised around 33 oral and written questions on average, eight more than their counterparts from the functional constituencies and five more than those from the election committee constituency.

Parties
Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA), Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (FLU), Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), Liberal Party (LP), New People’s Party (NPP)

Constituencies
Election Committee   Geographical   Functional

Full attendance

100% attendance (133 meetings present) (as of October 8)

Worst attendance

Absent rate of 7% (Missed 9 meetings) (as of October 8)

• Junius Ho
  Kwan-yiu
• Nixie Lam Lam
  DAB
• Sunny Tan
  BPA
• Maggie Chan
  Man-ki

Top for questions

Questions are expressed in the format: Total (Oral + Written). Example: 40 (10 + 30) means 10 oral questions, 30 written questions, and 40 total questions

“Legislators, especially those elected in geographical constituencies, are the bridge between government and people. Our Legco questions can put forward new ideas for government’s consideration; help government detect waste and duplication in public expenditure projects, and better meet public expectations.”

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee

Bottom for questions

“If I have a question for the government, I ask officials directly rather than waiting for a Legco meeting”

Tommy Cheung

Average number of motions/questions raised by lawmakers across three constituencies

Lawmakers who raised 3 motions

Lawmakers who never raised motions

• Tik Chi-yuen
  Third Side
• Louis Loong
  Hon-biu
  BPA

• “I have not considered raising motions other than the one regarding political reform. My wish didn’t happen as many expressed concerns, including its futility”

  Tik Chi-yuen

• “Questions are raised only when needed, and there are other platforms, like panel meetings, that allow for questioning of the government”

  Louis Loong

What’s next

Among the city’s 89 lawmakers, 28 have announced they will not seek re-election. Twelve are aged 70 or older. All said it was time for them to cede the limelight to the younger generation.

Age distribution of lawmakers and those who have dropped out:

Legco aspirants will have to contend with future challenges, including ensuring an engaged voting public.

Voter turnout in the first post-revamp Legco election in 2021 reached a record low of 30.2 per cent, down from the 58.29 per cent in the 2016 poll.

Turnout rate

The number of registered voters has also been on the wane, with the drop particularly apparent among young people.

Voters registration figures between 2016 and 2025

John Lee has vowed to take a hard line against any disruptions to the election while pledging to hold the polls in an orderly and fair manner. He also issued a letter to all civil servants urging them to vote in the December race, stressing they should set an example in fulfilling their civic responsibility.

The public will decide on December 7.

Click here to see who’s signed up for the race so far.

Edited by John Henderson
Source: SCMP

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