Wong Kam-fai resigns｜Legislative Council becomes 89 seats again; opinions differ on whether a by-election is needed. Scholars: it’s no problem if one or two people are fewer

At the end of 2022, Huang Jinhui, who entered the Legislative Council via a by-election, announced his resignation only six months into his term due to issues including drunken driving. The Legislative Council will once again be reduced to 89 seats. The establishment and scholars hold different views on whether a by-election should be held at this stage. Some hope a by-election can be held as soon as possible, while others worry that using a large amount of public money to hold a by-election due to an individual’s fault could trigger a public backlash.

Huang Jinhui Resigns｜Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau: Maintain Communication with the Electoral Affairs Commission; Consider By-election Arrangements in a Timely Manner Based on Actual Circumstances

In its reply to our newspaper’s inquiry today (the 4th), the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, as usual, only said it would maintain communication with the Electoral Affairs Commission and, in a timely manner, consider the relevant arrangements according to actual circumstances. It also said the government will continue to cooperate sincerely with the Eighth Legislative Council, and, in line with the principle of “executive-led governance” and “patriots administering Hong Kong,” the executive and legislative branches will work together to build a better Hong Kong.

Huang Jinhui Resigns｜Lau Siu-kai Is Concerned That a By-election Funded with Large Amounts of Public Money Due to Personal Fault May Spark Social Backlash

Huang Jinhui resigned after serving only six months as a Legislative Council member in this term. Lau Siu-kai, a consultant to the National Society of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, assessed that there would not be a by-election as a result. He frankly said that, since one person made a serious mistake, using a large amount of public money to hold another by-election could lead to social backlash. He believed that having one or two fewer people was not a problem—just as after Huang Yuanshan, a member of the Election Committee constituency in the previous term, resigned, no by-election was held.

▲ After Huang Jinhui’s resignation, the Legislative Council will once again have 89 seats. (Information photo)

Huang Jinhui Resigns｜Ip Lau Yuen Expects a By-election as Soon as Possible; Ronny Tong: Need to Consider the Operation of the Legislative Council, etc.

Mrs. Regina Ip, convenor of the Executive Council and chairwoman of the New People’s Party, meanwhile hopes that a by-election can be held as soon as possible. She believes the new Council has only been in operation for a few months, with more than three years still remaining, and that the scale of a Legislative Council by-election would not be too large, so the resources required would not be too much. Another Election Committee member who did not wish to be named suggested that if a by-election is to be held, consideration could be given to conducting it concurrently with the Election Committee election in September to save on public funds.

Executive Council member and senior counsel Ronny Tong also supports holding a by-election. He said there is still a considerable amount of time left in the term, but the by-election needs to take into account factors such as spending public funds and the operation of the Legislative Council, emphasizing that he will respect the SAR government’s approach.

Huang Jinhui Resigns｜Executive Council Member: Consider It After the Hong Kong Government’s Leadership Change Next Year

There are also Executive Council members who believe that a by-election will not be held at this stage, but instead it should be considered after next year’s change of leadership for the Hong Kong government—only then, to see whether more legislators will switch tracks and enter public office, and a by-election can then be held again in one go.

In the previous Legislative Council, a by-election was held on December 18, 2022 because three legislators switched tracks and became officials. Huang Jinhui was among those who took part in that by-election, becoming an Election Committee constituency member. On December 27 of the same year, Huang Yuanshan, then an Election Committee constituency member, resigned to take up the position of director of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit. After that, the government did not conduct any further by-election. When the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau was repeatedly asked when the by-election would be held, it only said it would consider it based on actual circumstances. In the end, the Legislative Council maintained 89 seats until the leadership change election last year.