At least 49 hopefuls have declared that they will run for directly elected seats in Hong Kong’s coming Legislative Council race after the first week of the nomination period, already marking a 40 per cent jump from the previous poll.
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While an intensified race could encourage residents to cast their ballots on December 7, the absence of opposition candidates could still pose a challenge for voter turnout, a political scientist said on Friday.
The legislature will also undergo a massive reshuffle as nearly one-third of incumbent lawmakers – a record-high proportion – have announced their plans to step down so far.
As of Friday, 49 candidates have declared that they will stand in the direct election or have signed up, marking a 40 per cent surge from the 35 who ran for Legco via the geographical constituencies in 2021.
The 20 directly elected seats have drawn an average of 2.45 hopefuls per seat, up from 1.75 in the previous election. No opposition candidates have entered the fray so far.
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In 2021, the bids of all 11 centrists or hopefuls with a previous opposition background who ran in the geographical constituencies were in vain, as major pan-democrat parties did not take part in the poll.