Veteran Hong Kong lawmaker Michael Tien has announced he will not run in the “patriots only” legislative elections, becoming the 16th politician in the 89-strong legislature to bow out ahead of the December race.
Tien told reporters outside the Legislative Council (LegCo) building around noon on Monday that he would not contest the race. He said he would still serve as the convenor of Roundtable, the centrist political group he founded in 2017, and continue contributing to China and Hong Kong.
“Lately, I’ve seen many colleagues more experienced than me announce they are not running,” Tien, who has served in LegCo since 2012, said in Cantonese.
“I’m 75,” he said. “[If I] serve one more term, I will be 79… if I do one more term, then what? I’ll be 83?”
Tien said fellow Roundtable member Mark Chong, 41, would run in the New Territories Northwest constituency – which the senior legislator represents – in his place.
Tien, seen as one of the more outspoken lawmakers, said he would help Chong in his campaign, and would work with him should the younger politician be elected to the Legislative Council.
A few hours later, a 17th legislator made a similar announcement. At around 4.30pm, lawmaker Tony Tse, who represents the architecture sector, posted on Facebook that he would not be seeking re-election.
The 70-year-old said he made his decision based on feedback from his sector, changes in his family circumstances, and the fact that he has already served three terms spanning 12 years.
“After careful consideration, I have decided not to take part in the eighth Legislative Council elections, as I hope to spend more time with my family,” Tse wrote in Chinese.
Tien and Tse are the latest lawmakers to announce that they will not be running in the Legislative Council election, scheduled for December 7.
The race is the second to take place since Beijing passed a resolution in 2021 to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system to ensure only “patriots” hold power in the legislature.
The overhaul also slashed the number of publicly elected seats from 35 to 20, while the legislature was expanded to include 20 more lawmakers chosen by members of the Election Committee in a small-circle vote.
‘Clear mind’
Ten of the 17 lawmakers who have said they will not run in the coming elections are aged 70 or above.
They include Tommy Cheung, 76, and Jeffrey Lam, 73, representing the catering sector and the commerce industry, respectively. Both have served in LegCo since the 2000s.
Local media outlets have cited rumours about an age limit barring veteran lawmakers from staying in the legislature.
Tien did not respond directly to a question about whether he had been told not to run in the elections due to his age.
“While I still have a clear mind, I can be by Chong’s side while he is campaigning,” Tien said.
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He also said that “whether Michael Tien was more important or the Roundtable was more important,” he picked the latter.
It will not be the first time that Chong has stood in an election. He ran in the Tuen Mun West constituency during the District Council elections in 2023, the first following a similar overhaul to ensure only “patriots” could contend.
Chong placed fourth in his constituency, receiving 7,149 votes. The two winning candidates are from the city’s biggest pro-Beijing parties: the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) and the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU).
