Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy party has failed to field any candidates for the December district council elections, under the territory's electoral system that was revised in favor of pro-Beijing parties.
More than 100 members of the parties backing the governments in Beijing and Hong Kong filed their candidacy for the election before the registration period ended on Monday.
Major pro-democracy parties, meanwhile, failed to field any candidates. Among them was the territory's largest pro-democracy group, the Democratic Party. It sought to have six of its members running for the poll.
Anyone wishing to run for the election must get a certain number of nominations from members of government-appointed committees under the new electoral system introduced in July. But none of the six Democratic Party members reached that number.
District council elections were said to have reflected the opinions of Hong Kong voters in the most accurate manner. In the previous 2019 election, the pro-democracy camp swept to a landslide victory, with the Democratic Party winning 91 seats.
The electoral system was revamped in favor of pro-Beijing politicians following the 2020 enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong aimed at cracking down on anti-government activities in the territory.
Observers say the "one country, two systems" framework in Hong Kong remains in name only.