2006 Democratic Party (HK) leadership election

The Democratic Party leadership election was held on 17 December 2006 for the 30-member 7th Central Committee of the Democratic Party in Hong Kong, including chairman and two vice-chairman posts. Legislative Council member and party's Vice-Chairman Albert Ho from the mainstreamer faction defeated the incumbent Vice-Chairman Chan King-ming from the Young Turks faction with a large margin, succeeding Lee Wing-tat as the Chairman of the party.

Democratic Party (HK) leadership election
17 December 2006
 
Candidate Albert Ho Chan King-ming
Ballot 204 81
Percentage 71.6% 28.4%
Chairman before election

Lee Wing-tat

 Elected Chairman

Albert Ho

Eligibility

The Central Committee was elected by the party congress. All public office holders, including the members of the Legislative Council and District Councils, are eligible to vote in the party congress. Every 30 members can also elect a delegate who holds one vote in the congress.[1]

Overview

The Democratic Party was suffering from the intra-party factional struggles between the mainstreamers and Young Turk reformists, while it was also facing the external challenge from the newly established Civic Party from the same pan-democracy camp.[2]In March, 2006, the Mainstreamer faction alleged that some senior members were involved in spying activities of China. The "suspects" were all Young Turks Reformist members including Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the New Territories East branch Chan King-ming and District Councillor Gary Fan Kwok-wai in New Territories East.

On 27 November, the incumbent Vice-Chairman and Legislative Council member Albert Ho announced he would run for the Chairman post with a cabinet list, including Legislative Council member Sin Chung-kai and Central Committee member Tik Chi-yuen running for the two Vice-Chairman posts, Peggy Ha Ving-vung for the Secretary post and Cheung Yin-tung for the Treasurer post.[3] Supported by the reformist Young Turks faction, another incumbent Vice-Chairman Chan King-ming ran for the Chairman for the second time after his defeat by Lee Wing-tat in the last party leadership election in 2004.

Elections
Chairman election [4]
CandidateVotes%
Albert Ho Chun-yan20471.6
Chan King-ming8128.4
Vice-Chairmen election [4]
CandidateVotes%
Sin Chung-kai18032.7
Tik Chi-yuen17030.9
Fung Wai-kwong7914.4
Shirley Ho Suk-ping7313.3
Cosmas Kwong Kwok-chuen488.7
Central Committee election[4]
CandidateVotes
Yeung Sum221
Law Chi-kwong216
Lee Wing-tat210
Szeto Wah210
Wu Chi-wai209
Cheung Yin-tung208
Josephine Chan Shu-ying207
Simon Lee Shiu-man200
Ng Wing-fai197
Nelson Wong Kin-shing197
Wong Sing-chi196
Mark Li Kin-yin195
Tsui Hon-kwong194
James To Kun-sun192
Howard Lam Tsz-kin191
Chai Man-hon188
Chan Ka-wai187
Peggy Ha Ving-vung179
Law Chun-ngai179
Ng Kim-sing176
Mok Siu-lun166
Cheung Yuet-lan163
Kwong Chun-yu158
Lam Wing-yin156
Yuen Bun-keung153
Leung Kai-wah150
Joanna Leung Suk-ching150
Fung Wai-kwong144
Chiu Chung-lam121
Gary Fan Kwok-wai114
Chan King-ming110
Shirley Ho Suk-ping96
Cosmas Kwong Kwok-chuen96
Yam Kai-bong98
Kwan Wing-yip89
Raymond Luk Yiu-man65
Wong Chun-wai60
Sham Wing-kan51
Lai Chi-keong46
Wong Leung-hi46
Lau Tai-sang36
Lam Chung-hoi32
Cheung Po-hop30
Chow Wai-tung22
Wong Fung-yau21

Results

The mainstreamer legislator Albert Ho defeated reformist Vice-Chairman Chan King-ming by winning 204 to 81 votes.[2] Sin Chung-kai and Tik Chi-yuen from Ho's team also elected Vice-Chairmen with 180 and 170 votes respectively, defeating Cosmas Kwong Kwok-chuen the Young Turk reformist, Andrew Fung Wai-kwong of the Meeting Point faction, and Shirley Ho Suk-ping supported by legislator and founding Chairman Martin Lee Chu-ming and legislator Andrew Cheng Kar-foo.[5] 26 of the 27 mainstreamers candidates were elected except for Chiu Chung-lam, Chairman of the Kowloon East branch. Andrew Fung was the single candidate of the Meeting Point faction who was elected to the Central Committee. The seven reformist members were all defeated.[5]

The elected members of the 7th Central Committee are listed as following:

  • Central Committee Members:

Aftermath

The newly elected Chairman Albert Ho said his team won because the party members understood that they were in crisis and needed a strong leadership. He called for the intra-party solidarity[5] and stated his main task would be to bring different factions together within the party and prepare for the 2007 District Council elections and 2008 Legislative Council election.[2]

Although being criticised by some reformists, Ho stated that it was a free and fair election that party members must respect and accept the election results. The failed candidate Chan King-ming said the party was inclusive and open so he would continue to give advice to the leadership about reform.[2]

Political scientist Ivan Choy commented that the election results showed the loss of trust between the mainstreamers and reformists. The New Territories East branch which the reformists dominated would confront the party's central authorities. That might lead to another split if the conflicts continued and bad election results came out badly in the District Council elections next year.[5]

References
  1. Kuan, Hsin-chi; Liu, Zhaojia; Wang, Jiaying, eds. (2002). Out of the Shadow of 1997?: The 2000 Legislative Council Election in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Chinese University Press. p. 156.
  2. 香港民主黨面臨其它民主黨派壓力. Dajiyuan (in Chinese). 19 December 2006.
  3. 組閣參選民主黨中委會 港議員堅稱促民主挺維權. Epoch Times (in Chinese). 28 November 2006.
  4. 民主黨第七屆中委會及紀委會選舉結果 (PDF). The Democratic Party (in Chinese). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2007.
  5. 民主黨改選 改革派全數落馬 何俊仁高票膺主席. Apple Daily (in Chinese). 18 December 2006.
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