2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries

In 2019 amid the historic anti-extradition protests and the pro-democracy landslide in the District Council elections, legal scholar Benny Tai, initiator of the 2014 Occupy protests, suggested the chance of the pro-democrats winning more than half of the seats to block the government's bills including the expected legislation of the Article 23 of the Basic Law and pressured the government to implement the five key demands of the protest movement. Learning from the experience of excessive numbers of candidates which split the pro-democratic votes in the 2016 election, he proposed a primaries within the pro-democracy camp which could set limit on the numbers of tickets, avoid wasting votes, and therefore maximise the chance for the pro-democrats to win more seats.[1]

Candidate must obtain at least 100 registered voter nominations and a deposit HK$10,000 in order to participate in the primaries. The election, organised by Benny Tai and former Legislative Council member Au Nok-hin,[2] coordinated by Power for Democracy, is set to take place from July 11–12 between 9 am and 9 pm. The voting system will be designed by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, which will also conduct polls on the recommended candidates. The surveyed results will be used to consolidate the final list of nominated candidates for the official election in September. Voters must bring along proof of residency or electoral register identification, as well as a smartphone to designated polling stations. There they will scan the QR code and fill out their personal details before casting their ballot.[3]

A total number of 52 nomination lists were received during the nomination period for all five geographical constituencies, the five-seat District Council (Second) and Health Services functional constituency. Most potential candidates have pledged their willing to coordinate with organisers, except for political party Civic Passion and New Territories East candidate Law Ting-fai who declined to join the primaries.[3]

The Kwai Chung-based small political group Neighbourhood and Worker's Service Centre (NWSC) who held one seat in the legislature also declared they would not follow the agreement in which the lost candidates in the primaries would not fill their candidacy in the general election. Instead, the NWSC suggested to drop out in the latter stage of the election if the polls suggested the candidate has no chance to win. The NWSC received backlash among the pro-democrats, accusing them for undermining the mechanism of the primaries. The NWSC later withdrew their candidacy altogether and did not promise they would not fill their own candidacy in the general election.[4]