The 2019 District Council election in Hong Kong: A localism perspective

Abstract

Abstract The landslide victory of the pan-democrats sent shockwaves through the political sector, including the Hong Kong and Chinese governments in the 2019 District Council election. A new phenomenon was observed in the election that voting was no longer based principally on utilitarian pragmatism as a driving force. This paper analyzes the 2019 District Council election results from a localism perspective. The adoption of a localism perspective is conduced by the political turmoil triggered by the extradition bill proposed by the Hong Kong government months before the election. The fundamental opposition to the extradition bill is the lack of trust toward Hong Kong leaders and the Chinese political system. This in turn is translated into an anti-China feeling among the Hong Kong general public. The rise of an anti-China feeling is related to rise of Hong Kong localism and the weakening of Chinese identity among the Hong Kong people. Localism plays an important role shaping the electoral politics and governance in Hong Kong.