Democratic Party: Hong Kong’s main opposition party to dissolve

The Democratic Party’s leaders in Hong Kong have made it known that they intend to break what was once the state’s largest opposition group.

People will soon vote on the final choice on whether to shut down the 31-year-old group, president Lo Kin-hei said.

Following China’s efforts to impose opposition in the area following the protests in 2019, the group has been struggling to survive.

According to Beijing and the government of Hong Kong, these actions were essential for national protection.

As part of the assault, Beijing overhauled the erstwhile British colony’s voting systems.

The so-called “patriots law” was passed in Hong Kong in 2021 that ensured only people regarded as loyal to the Communist regime in Beijing could serve as lawmakers or local councillors in the semi-autonomous territory.

Essentially, this law forbade the Democrat Party from participating in elections.

Mr. Lo claimed that the group’s leaders had called the party’s officials to end its operations based on the” current political situation” at a late-night media conference on Tuesday following a group meeting.

” Developing democracy in Hong Kong is always hard, and it’s especially hard in the past few years”, Mr Lo said to investigators.

When asked if the party’s officials had made a decision under social force, he replied that he had not commented.

For the closure process, the group has established a work team. At least 75 % of its people who will be present at a subsequent public meeting will need to review the move before it becomes final. A time for that conference has not been determined.

Regina Ip, a top Hong Kong government official, accused the Democrat Party of” constantly causing difficulty inside and outside legislature” on Wednesday.

” Therefore I am never surprised at all that they have been losing followers in recent years… the Democratic Party has already reached a dead conclusion”, said Ms Ip, co-convener of Hong Kong’s cabinet-like Executive Council.

In 2010, the Democratic Party and the Liaison Office, the Taiwanese Communist government’s representative in Hong Kong, had one of the most exclusive strong discussions to come up with ideas for more democratic elections.

Its younger people, but, saw those conversations as a betrayal. The decision led to a broken and the party lost support.

After winning the most votes in the 2019 local government elections, which took place during the harsh anti-government protests, it then regained its strength and became the most effective opposition political power in the town.

A number of the Democratic Party’s members – including prominent pro-democracy figures Helena Wong, Lam Cheuk-ting, Wu Chi-wai and Albert Ho – are among the Hong Kong 47 group of campaigners jailed under the controversial national security law.

Another member, former legislator Ted Hui, is now living in Australia in exile and is wanted by the Hong Kong government for alleged national security offences. Earlier this week a court issued an order to confiscate his assets and money in Hong Kong, which are held by his family and a law firm.

After the former attorney lost his appeal against an illegal assembly faith, Hong Kong granted Martin Lee Houston, a key founder of the Democratic Party, the honourable Justice of the Peace title in December.