The impact of electoral formulae in the direct legislative council elections on the developmental stage of political parties in Hong Kong during the transition period (1991-2000)

Abstract

This research attempts to explore the impacts of the electoral formulae in the direct Legislative Council elections in the developmental stage of political parties in Hong Kong during the transitional period under the Huntington model. The objectives of this study are to examine whether double-seat double-vote system in 1991 and single- member plurality system in 1995 led political parties to a polarization stage while the proportional representation system in 1998 and 2000 guided parties to proceed to an expansion stage. It was found that the dynamic change of electoral formulae before and after 1997 induced different political effects to the political system in Hong Kong. The political parties would employ different campaign strategies in response to the electoral formulae in the elections. As a result, the political parties experienced a polarization stage before 1997 and underwent an early phrase of expansion stage after 1997.