Maintaining the Political Status Quo? Hong Kong's Legislative Council Elections, September 2008

In the 2008 Legislative Council elections, the pro-democracy camp accomplished its basic objective of retaining more than a third of the seats. There were signs of spreading political apathy and rising resentment against the administration, evidenced by the substantial drop in voter participation, and this will increase as the economy deteriorates. The pro-democracy movement failed to contain its internal differences during the election campaign, despite recognizing that these differences would affect the pro-democracy parties' image and electoral fortunes. Indeed, the pro-democracy camp is likely to find it increasingly difficult to appeal for support from the community to exert pressure on the government, as it lacks a common, well-defined policy program. The sophistication and mobilizing power of the pro-Beijing united front's electoral machinery were again well demonstrated in the elections. However, this power did not effectively deliver in terms of seats won. Lack of mutual trust and the eagerness of the united front's core to exert control were likely reasons for this. These factors will not only affect future election campaign strategies, they also reflect the style of Beijing's united front policy toward Hong Kong.