Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
民主建港協進聯盟
AbbreviationDAB
ChairpersonGary Chan
Vice-ChairpersonsChan Yung
Ben Chan
Holden Chow
Chan Hok-Fung
Elizabeth Quat
Founded10 July 1992 (1992-07-10)
Merger ofDemocratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Progressive Alliance
Headquarters15/F, SUP Tower,
83 King's Road,
North Point, Hong Kong
Youth wingYoung DAB
Membership (2020)Increase 44,663[1]
Ideology
Political positionBig tent[4][A]
Historical:
Centre-left to Left-wing[5]
Local affiliationPro-Beijing camp[6][7]
Colours   Blue and red
Slogan"Faithful to Hong Kong"
Executive Council
4 / 33
Legislative Council
19 / 90
District Councils
147 / 470
NPC (HK deputies)
7 / 36
CPPCC (HK members)
16 / 124
Website
www.dab.org.hk

^ A: The DAB has also been characterized by some as "centre-right" on the political spectrum because of its pro-business faction since merging with the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance.[8]
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
Traditional Chinese民主建港協進聯盟
Simplified Chinese民主建港协进联盟
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong
Traditional Chinese民主建港聯盟
Simplified Chinese民主建港联盟
Abbreviation
Traditional Chinese民建聯
Simplified Chinese民建联

The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) is a pro-Beijing conservative political party registered since 1992 in Hong Kong. Chaired by Gary Chan and holding 13 Legislative Council seats, it is currently the largest party in the legislature and in terms of membership, far ahead of other parties. It has been a key supporting force to the SAR administration and the central government's policies on Hong Kong.

The party was established in 1992 as the "Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong" by a group of traditional Beijing loyalists who pledged allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party. As the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong was approaching, the party actively participated in elections in the last years of the colonial rule and became one of the major party and the ally to the government in the early post-handover era.

The DAB took a major blow in the 2003 District Council election due to the unpopular Tung Chee-hwa administration and the proposed legislation of the Article 23 of the Basic Law. However, the party still managed to recover its loss in the following decades, further expanded its electoral base and membership and absorbed the pro-business Hong Kong Progressive Alliance in 2005, becoming the a dominant force in Hong Kong politics.

The party received electoral successes in the 2007 and 2011 District Council elections, winning 136 local elected offices at its peak, and won 13 seats in the 2012 Legislative Council election thanks to its effective electoral strategy. In the 2019 District Council elections, however, the party received a significant loss of four-fifth of its seats the midst of the widespread anti-government protests.

  1. ^ "Basic Info". The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  2. ^ Ma, Ngok (2012). "Political Parties and Elections". In Lam, Wai-man; Lui, Percy Luen-tim; Wong, Wilson (eds.). Contemporary Hong Kong Government and Politics. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-9-88-813947-7.
  3. ^ "Hong Kong anti-gay advocates claim same-sex marriage will lead to human trafficking, abortions, incest". Hong Kong Free Press. 11 July 2017. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  4. ^ Sonny Shiu-Hing Lo; Steven Chung-Fun Hung; Jeff Hai-Chi Loo (2019). China's New United Front Work in Hong Kong: Penetrative Politics and Its Implications. Springer. p. 44.
  5. ^ "Political Parties and Elections". In Lam, Wai-man; Lui, Percy Luen-tim; Wong, Wilson (eds.). Contemporary Hong Kong Government and Politics. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-9-88-813947-7.
  6. ^ Sing, Ming (January 2009). "Hong Kong's Democrats Hold Their Own". Journal of Democracy. 20 (1). Johns Hopkins University Press: 98–112. doi:10.1353/jod.0.0046. S2CID 153747828.
  7. ^ Lo, Shiu-hing (June 1996). "Political Parties in a Democratizing Polity: The Role of the "Pro-China" Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong". Asian Journal of Political Science. 4 (1): 98–129. doi:10.1080/02185379608434074.
  8. ^ Chan, Ariel Shuk-ling; Foong Ha, Yap (2013). "'Ladders for climbing up or jumping off? On the interpretation of metaphors in political discourse in Hong Kong" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2020.

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