Opposition May Win 45 Plus Seats In Legco: Benny Tai

An organiser of the pro-democracy's primary election, Benny Tai, said on Monday said that he feels pro-democracy camp may win up to 45 seats in Legco, claiming he is seeing a trend of many pro-establishment supporters turning "yellow" after the new security law was enacted.

The co-founder Occupy Central movement of 2014 said if the trend of “blue turning yellow” sustains, this will see opposition winning more functional constituency seats, apart from the 35 geographical constituency seats during the Legco elections in September.

“Now they maybe also very dissatisfied with present situation, with the enactment of the new national security law. So how can they defend the values of Hong Kong, the core values of Hong Kong? Ironically this time they have to vote for yellow candidates, candidates of the democratic camp,” the University of Hong Kong law academic said.

Tai said the effects of such a swing could reach beyond the directly-elected geographical constituency seats, to affect results of functional constituency elections which in the past has tilted firmly towards pro-establishment candidates.

"If the democracy candidates win in the functional constituencies, it will be 45 plus. Not just 35 plus,” he said.

Tai said that the turnout in the weekend primaries by the pan-democratic camp shows that people in Hong Kong wants an actual democratic system and their demands aren't mere slogans.

He said it's a miracle that more than 600,000 people turned up to cast their votes in the two-day elections.

"It shows clearly that Hong Kong people are very determined to have democracy. Also to practice democracy, not only shouting slogan that we want democracy," he said.

Asked what will happen if the candidates picked through the primaries get disqualified before the September Legco election, Tai said the disqualified winners then can nominate their choice to run for the seat.