Performance in Elections
The Liberal Party saw its greatest success in the 2004 Legislative Council election. With its success in gaining seats from the geographical constituencies through direct elections while retaining those seats in the functional constituencies, the party increased its seats from seven (in the 2000 elections) to ten, overtaking the Democratic Party for the first time since 1995 to become the second-largest political party in the legislature.
The fate of the party hung in the balance after its poor showing in the 2008 Legco election. The party won seven seats, all in the functional constituencies, eliminating its limited public mandate; leader James Tien and deputy leader Selina Chow both lost their geographical constituency seats, following which they resigned their party functions. There were recriminations when Chow blamed the loss of her seat on Heung Yee Kuk chairman and Liberal Party member Lau Wong-fat for canvassing for the DAB during the elections. Former chairman Allen Lee said that the party was now "doomed" following their poll defeat because of a succession crisis and lack of funding.
On 9 October 2008, three councillors, Jeffrey Lam, Sophie Leung, and Andrew Leung, resigned from the Liberal Party, citing internal party disagreements. Lam had been courting for the party leadership since Tien's resignation, with support from Sophie Leung and Andrew Leung. These resignations, along with the resignation of Heung, reduces the Liberal Party from seven Legco councillors to three.
Miriam Lau became chairman of the party.
The Liberal Party performed badly in the 2012 Hong Kong legislative election, securing only 2.64 percent of the popular vote and gaining five seats in Legco (one in a geographical constituency and four in functional constituencies), its lowest ever election showing. Miriam Lau, who lost her seat, resigned as chairman. Pending a vote by members for a permanent replacement in October, Vincent Fang Kang took over as acting chairman.
| Election | Number of votes | Share of votes | Geographical constituency seats | Functional constituency seats | Elections committee seats | Total seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 15,126 | 1.64% | 1 | 9 | 0 | 10 |
| 1998 | 50,335 | 3.40% | 0 | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000 | 24,858 | 1.88% | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 2004 | 118,997 | 6.67% | 2 | 8 | − | 10 |
| 2008 | 65,622 | 4.33% | 0 | 7 | − | 7 |
| 2012 | 48,702 | 2.64% | 1 | 4 | − | 5 |
Read more about this topic: Liberal Party (Hong Kong)
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