Legislative Council Election 2025: generational handover as members stepping aside for younger generation

On a November morning in Hong Kong, the sun scorching the tiled roof of the Wong Tai Sin Temple, hundreds of people pressed together to head to the main altar in a rite for the upcoming Legislative Council election. Devotees walked slowly past the great bronze incense burner, heads bowed, respectfully planting three sticks of incense each.

Alan Chan, 68, edged forward in the slow-moving river of bodies, his three incense sticks already lit and trembling between his fingers. For decades this had been his quiet anchor: a bow, a murmured name — Tommy Cheung Yu-Yan. But the 76-year-old lawmaker had just announced his retirement from Legco after 25 years. His prayer caught in his throat. He stared at the altar’s flickering candles, the sea of unfamiliar faces on campaign flyers taped to nearby pillars. 

"These young candidates I don’t recognise a single one…How am I supposed to vote? How am I supposed to pray?" he said.

Cheung is one of 12 current Lego members aged 70 or above who declared they will not run in this year's election, including former Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yin, 74, and convener of the Executive Council Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, 75, accounting for a little over a third of all 35 lawmakers who announced their election withdrawal. Most veteran lawmakers said that they hope to make way for the younger generation.

This unprecedented wave of withdrawals is despite no existing legislation specifying a retirement age limit for members of Legco. 

Although the reasons for the generational shift remain unclear, some commentators have speculated that Beijing seeks a younger cohort of legislators who will appeal to Hong Kong’s youth and align more closely with national development priorities.

Martin Cheung Tat-ming, Chief Researcher at a leading local think tank, said the most direct reason why all legislators aged 70 and above have withdrawn from the election is likely their failure to secure enough electoral votes. 

"If it has become a consensus that one should step down, no one would want to go against it," he said. "It's not worth it."

The Business and Professionals Alliance was the most affected with five incumbent legislators not seeking re-election, four of them over 70. 

As a result, the party is trying to field a number of fresh faces in this year's election, with Ariel Mok Yee-ki, 36, one of the notable new candidates campaigning in the New Territories.

"I don't think age is the measuring stick. Instead, experience and a results-oriented approach are the qualities valued most by those in public service,” Mok said. 

Mok’s political career began in 2023 when she was successfully elected as a Kwai Tsing district councillor.

However, Mok also said the biggest challenge for young lawmakers lies in their limited resources, noting that they need to collaborate with senior lawmakers to advance the implementation of bills. 

"For instance, if the youth hostel optimisation plan I aim to promote is approved in the future, I hope senior legislators can help connect with developer resources," Mok added.

As a seasoned legislator with four terms of Legco experience, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee said enabling young people to become new legislators is a mission that Legco  must fulfil. 

"During my tenure as a Legco member, I have always been popular among citizens. What we need to do is to assist these young candidates, so that they can also be welcomed by the Hong Kong people in the future," Ip said.

"Just being young is not good enough to be good legislators," she added .

Joephy Chan Wing-yan, competing for the same New Territories Southwest constituency seat with Mok, is 35 and was successfully elected as the youngest member in the last Legislative Council term. 

The average age of the five candidates in New Territories Southwest constituency is 37.2 years old.

In the past two terms of Legislative Council, the average age of members has been on a steady decline, dropping from 58 years old in the sixth term to 55 years old in the seventh.

For young voters, a candidate who better understands their needs is naturally popular. 

"This year's LegCo election is the first one I'm eligible to vote in. I'll cast my ballot for Mok since she makes me feel very approachable and truly has our interests at heart," said Chan Sze-yuen, a student at  the Education University of Hong Kong.

Albert Chen Hung-yee, professor of law at the University of Hong Kong and member of the Basic Law Committee of Hong Kong, said he believes young candidates are capable of leading Hong Kong to continuous progress. He said new legislators should not hesitate to put forward bills.

"Ultimately, it is up to the government to decide whether to adopt these proposals and how to implement them, so the most important thing for a legislator is to dare to speak out," he added.

As Alan Chan left the temple, he said he would delve into the backgrounds of the new candidates once he got home.

"After all, the future belongs to them," he said.