Hong Kong Legco president Andrew Leung to step down

The incumbent president of Hong Kong’s legislature has announced that he will not seek re-election in December’s poll, citing family considerations, his age and personal reasons for his retirement.

Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, 74, who has chaired the Legislative Council for nine years, said on Monday that he hoped his early announcement would give capable candidates sufficient time to prepare for the Legco election on December 7.

Leung’s decision to step down came just over three weeks before the current legislature’s term ends on October 24, the same day the nomination process for the coming election begins.

Representing the industrial functional constituency, Leung joined the legislature in 2004 and has chaired Legco for two terms since 2016. He is a member of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, one of the legislature’s four major political parties.

“Serving as the Legco president and having the opportunity to contribute to society to the best of my ability in this position has been the greatest honour of my life. I feel that now is an appropriate time to step down with a sense of accomplishment,” he said.

“It was a difficult yet somehow easy decision to make … I’ve discussed it with my family and my party.”