Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
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.
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong 民主建港協進聯盟 | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | DAB |
| Chairperson | Gary Chan |
| Vice-Chairpersons | Chan Yung Ben Chan Holden Chow Chan Hok-Fung Elizabeth Quat |
| Founded | 10 July 1992 |
| Merger of | Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Progressive Alliance |
| Headquarters | 15/F, SUP Tower, 83 King's Road, North Point, Hong Kong |
| Youth wing | Young DAB |
| Membership (2020) | 44,663 |
| Ideology |
|
| Political position | Centre-right |
| Local affiliation | Pro-Beijing camp |
| 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 | |
| |
| 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 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
|
Politics and government of Hong Kong |
| Related topics Hong Kong portal |
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.