Hong Kong’s last major opposition party disbanded on Sunday after a vote by its members, marking the end of an era for liberal voices in the city amid years of Beijing-led security crackdowns.
The Democratic Party, Hong Kong’s flagship opposition since its founding three years before the 1997 handover from British to Chinese rule, once dominated city-wide legislative elections and championed democratic reforms and freedoms. The party’s prominence faded after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019 against a perceived tightening of China’s grip prompted Beijing to impose a sweeping national security law aimed at quashing dissent.
The final vote
On Sunday, Democratic Party Chairman Lo Kin-hei announced that members had voted to disband and enter liquidation following an extraordinary general meeting. Of 121 votes cast, 117 voted to disband while 4 abstained.
“To have journeyed through these three decades, shoulder to shoulder with the people of Hong Kong, has been our greatest honour,” Lo said. “Throughout these years, we have always treated the well-being of Hong Kong and its people as our guiding purpose.”
Senior party members previously told Reuters they had been approached by Chinese officials or middlemen and warned to disband or face severe consequences, including possible arrest. The Hong Kong Liaison Office, China’s main representative body in the city, did not respond to requests for comment.
Erosion of autonomy
Emily Lau, a former Democratic Party chairwoman, expressed regret at the outcome. “Why does an organisation that has done so much for Hong Kong need to end like this? I find it very problematic,” she said.
China’s “one country, two systems” framework promises Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy. However, authorities have used new security laws in recent years to arrest scores of opponents, disband civil society groups, and shutter media outlets.
“We were never able to have democracy. We never had the chance to elect our government,” Lau said. “We hope it won’t keep shrinking more and more. We hope there won’t be more and more people being arrested.”
Political landscape transformed
The vote came one week after Hong Kong held a “patriots only” legislative council election and one day before media mogul and China critic Jimmy Lai was set to receive a verdict in a landmark national security trial.
China’s 2021 overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system — allowing only those vetted as “patriots” to run for public office — effectively marginalized the Democratic Party by pushing it out of mainstream politics. In June, another pro-democracy group, the League of Social Democrats, announced it would disband amid “immense political pressure.”
Several senior Democratic Party members, including Wu Chi-wai, Albert Ho, Helena Wong, and Lam Cheuk-ting, have been jailed or held in custody under the 2020 national security law.
International criticism
Governments including the United States and Britain have criticized the law, saying it stifles dissent and individual freedom. Beijing maintains that no freedom is absolute and that the national security law has restored stability to Hong Kong.
