ABSTRACT
For decades, party politics in Hong Kong was underdeveloped. With the lack of progress of democratization after 1997, the two decades after the sovereignty changeover did not see a healthy growth in party politics. In contrast, the party system in Hong Kong suffers from increasing polarization and fragmentation. Most parties, especially the pro-democracy parties, have declined in capacity, influence, and credibility, with supporters vesting hope in civil society and new political groups instead. The proliferation of new political groups before the 2016 Legislative Council elections and the election results specifically showed the incapability of the political parties in Hong Kong. This chapter analyzes the change in party politics after 1997 by multiple perspectives. It will first discuss the systemic factors that are unfavorable to the development of party politics in Hong Kong. It delineates how the systemic factors interacted with institutional and political changes after 1997 to hinder party development in Hong Kong. It will also trace how political developments in recent years brought about polarization and fragmentation of the party system and a further discrediting of party politics in Hong Kong.
