1963 Hong Kong municipal election explained

Election Name:1963 Hong Kong municipal election
Country:Hong Kong
Flag Image:Flag of Hong Kong 1959.svg
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1961 Hong Kong municipal election
Previous Year:1961
Next Election:1965 Hong Kong municipal election
Next Year:1965
Seats For Election:4 (of the 8) elected seats to the Urban Council
Election Date:7 March 1963
Registered:25,932 9.55%
Turnout:5,320 (20.52%)
Leader2:Brook Bernacchi
Party2:Reform Club of Hong Kong
Seats Before2:3
Seats After2:3
Popular Vote2:5,177
Percentage2:39.43%
Swing2:8.24pp
Leader1:Woo Pak-foo
Party1:Hong Kong Civic Association
Seats Before1:4
Seats After1:4
Popular Vote1:2,565
Percentage1:19.53%
Swing1:4.92pp
Map Size:325px

The 1963 Hong Kong Urban Council election was held on 7 March 1963 for the four of the eight elected seats of the Urban Council of Hong Kong. Elsie Elliott, educator and social activist was first elected to the council on the Reform Club ticket, while lawyer Cheung Wing-in became the new elected member for the Hong Kong Civic Association.

Overview

The polling stations increased to four in this year. City Hall in Central, headquarter of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps in Happy Valley, East wing of the Star Ferry Pier in South Kowloon and North Kowloon Magistracy in North Kowloon. 5,320 of the 25,932 eligible electorates came out and voted which was about 20.5 per cent.[1]

The CivicReform Coalition continued and the seats were divided by these two groups. Elsie Elliott was elected to the council for the first time representing the Reform Club and also backed by the Civic Association, succeeding Dr. Alison Bell. The other Club candidate Dr. Raymond Harry Shoon Lee was re-elected and the last seat went to Cheung Wing-in from the Association who replaced Ernest Charles Wong.

Chan Shu-woon, a former Reform Club member quit the Club in 1963 ran as an Independent in the election. Brook Bernacchi, leader of the Reform Club later on sued Chan for alleged corruption during the election campaign.[2] [3] Chan subsequently resigned from the office in 1964 and departed Hong Kong for the United States.

By-election

There was a by-election took place in 1964 for the vacant seat of Chan Shu-woon.

Napoleon Ng representing Civic–Reform Union ran against Independent Solomon Rafeek and got defeated. The Reform Club accused some members of the Civic Association had used their influential to back up Rafeek who was already a member of that Association. The Club found this unacceptable within the terms of the Coalition, and became one of the reasons for the Union being dissolved.[4] Rafeek formally joined the Civic Association in April.

References

Notes and References

  1. News: 市政局議員選舉 今晨二時揭曉. 香港工商日報. 1963-03-08. 5.
  2. News: 撤銷控陳樹桓案 法官要解釋理由. Tak Kung Pao. 8 July 1963. 4.
  3. News: 控陳樹桓競選議員違例案 原訴人請求撤回控訴. 8 July 1963. 6. Kung Sheung Daily News.
  4. Book: Memorandum and articles of Association of the Reform Club of Hong Kong : incorporated the 20th day of January, 1949. Reform Club of Hong Kong. Ts'o & Hodgson. 1949.