The Seventh Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region concludes all meetings for its current session on October 23, 2025. Photo: VCG

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) held the launch ceremony for the 2025 Legislative Council (LegCo) General Election on Thursday, where the HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu called the upcoming election a major milestone in Hong Kong's journey from stability to prosperity.

Lee also noted that the election is of great importance to Hong Kong's economic development and livelihood improvement, saying, "It concerns you, me and every Hong Kong resident."

The LegCo is an essential component of the HKSAR's governance structure, Lee said. Article 73 of the Basic Law grants the LegCo a wide range of powers, including enacting, amending or repealing laws; examining and approving budgets; and endorsing taxation and public expenditure.

Following the improvement of Hong Kong's electoral system, the LegCo now comprises 90 members, elected through three major channels — the Election Committee constituency, the functional constituencies and the geographical constituencies. Lee stressed that this structure ensures broader, more balanced and more diverse representation, reflecting both sectoral and regional interests as well as the overall interests of Hong Kong.

The seventh-term LegCo has fostered a new pattern of positive interactions between the legislature and the executive, Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, LegCo president of the HKSAR, said on Wednesday, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

Leung said that the seventh-term LegCo, the first since the improvement of the electoral system and implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," has been productive, fully demonstrating the sense of responsibility of legislators, per Xinhua. 

The LegCo president also encouraged patriotic and capable individuals to run in the upcoming election, and called on eligible voters to cast their ballots, Xinhua reported. 

The nomination period for the 2025 Hong Kong LegCo election will begin on October 24, with several incumbent legislators announcing they will not seek re-election. Among them are veteran figures LegCo President Andrew Leung, as well as Executive Council members Cheung Yu-yan, Chan Kin-por and Lam Kin-fung, according to local media reports. 

Several newer members, including Zhang Xinyu, Lam So-wai and Chow Man-kong, have also opted out, media reports said. 

Some Western media including the BBC noted that over the past two weeks, a wave of incumbent legislators have announced they will not seek re-election, signaling that the December election will see a major turnover.

"Actually, the proportion of legislators stepping down isn't particularly large; it's roughly in line with past patterns," Lau Siu-kai, a consultant from the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies who is also a senior policy advisor, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

"It's understandable that some newcomers realize that serving as a LegCo member isn't the right fit for them and therefore choose not to run," Lau said, noting that the LegCo has continuously raised expectations regarding members' performance and discipline, which makes it challenging for some to balance their legislative duties with their original work, leading to their withdrawal.

In an article published by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council on October 17, the upcoming election will surely select LegCo members who are more steadfast in their patriotism and dedication to Hong Kong, who serve the people with greater enthusiasm, who work diligently and fulfill their duties responsibly, who are younger, more professional and full of innovative vitality, and who uphold integrity and exemplary conduct. 

This represents the most genuine, practical and effective form of democracy, providing stronger assurance for the SAR to achieve good governance, the article said.