The first Legislative Council election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Meaning and impact

This paper provides a systematic analysis of the meaning of the first Legis lative Council election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKS AR) and its impact on the future development of democracy in Hong Kong. If shows that the election put Hong Kong back onto the course of gradual democ ratization derailed by the Provisional Legislature. The unprecedentedly hig h turnout rate washed away the politically apathetic image of the Hong Kong people. The high percentage of popular votes received by the "democrats" a lso reflected the persistent public support for the democratic camp. With p ublic support, the comeback of the democrats will surely ignite and aggrava te both the contentions over the pace of democratization among the differen t political forces and the friction between the Legislative Council and the HKSAR Chief Executive. The short-lived "political harmony" brought about b y the Provisional Legislature is thus forever gone. However the democrats w ere only able to grab one-third of the seats in the Legislative Council, wi th the rest taken up by the pro-China and industrial-business forces. Hence , the Legislative Council will remain divided in its future operations with no single camp claiming dominance.;This situation meets the objectives of the electoral system drawn up by Beijing and the HKSAR government and is co nducive to alleviating the pressure on the executive-led HKSAR government.