Hong Kong localist’s vote haul in by-election points to further splits in radical groups at Legco polls
Post study shows that, despite losing, Edward Leung Tin-kei won many of his 66,524 votes in areas of New Territories East that backed radical pro-democracy candidates in 2012 Legco elections
Localist Edward Leung Tin-kei reeled in votes from areas that backed radical candidates in the 2012 Legislative Council election, a South China Morning Post study of the results of last Sunday’s New Territories East by-election has found.
The findings point to fiercer competition and further splintering among radical pro-democracy groups in the upcoming Legco elections.
Despite Leung, of Hong Kong Indigenous, winning an eye-catching 66,524 votes, it was still unclear if the pro-independence movement represents a truly significant political force that can make meaningful headway in the citywide election in September.
According to the Post study, which compared the by-election results with the 2012 Legco election outcome, Leung’s core voter base largely overlapped with the support base of the three radical pan-democratic lawmakers – “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung of the League of Social Democrats, People Power’s Ray Chan Chi-Chuen and Neo Democrats’ Gary Fan Kwok-wai.
Among the 20 areas in which Leung gained the highest percentage of votes, close to half of them also ranked in the radical pan-democrats’ top 20 in the last Legco election.
For example, in Sheung Tak estate in Sai Kung – the area in which Leung had the highest share of votes – the localist won 29.4 per cent of the votes, trailing closely behind the 34.2 per cent the radical pan-democrats won in 2012.
