View source for Liberal Party (Hong Kong)

{{Short description|Political party in Hong Kong}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox political party
| country          = Hong Kong
| name             = Liberal Party
| native_name      = {{nobold|自由黨}}
| native_name_lang = zh-Hant-HK
| logo             = LiberalParty HK.svg
| logo_size        = 120px
| leader           = [[Tommy Cheung]]
| chairman         = [[Peter Shiu]]
| leader1_title    = Vice-Chairmen
| leader1_name     = Nicholas Chan<br />[[Alan Hoo]]<br />[[Lee Chun-keung]]
| colorcode        = {{party color|Liberal Party (Hong Kong)}}
| foundation       = {{start date and age|df=yes|1993|6|6}}
| headquarters     = 2/F New Hennessy<br />Tower, 263 [[Hennessy Road|Hennessy<br />Road]], [[Wan Chai]],<br />[[Hong Kong]]
| affiliation1_title = Regional affiliation
| affiliation1     = [[Pro-Beijing camp (Hong Kong)|Pro-Beijing camp]]
| membership_year  = 2017
| membership       = {{increase}} ~500
| ideology         = {{ubl|class=nowrap|[[Conservatism]] ([[Conservatism in Hong Kong|HK]])|[[Economic liberalism]]|[[Liberal conservatism]]<!-- <ref>ab JPRS Report: China, Issues 21–30. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 1993.p. 41.</ref>-->}}
| position         = [[Centre-right politics|Centre-right]]{{refn|<ref>{{cite news|title=定位中間偏右 圖擺脫大財團影子 自由黨開班惡補政治|newspaper=Apple Daily|date=31 December 2008}}</ref><ref name="黃以謙">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6DBVCwAAQBAJ&dq=%22%E4%B8%AD%E9%96%93%E5%81%8F%E5%8F%B3%22+%22%E6%B0%91%E5%BB%BA%E8%81%AF%22&pg=PA147 |author=黃以謙 |title=進擊の區議員: 我要真, 真普選 |quote=... 中間偏右路線之外,亦令自由黨失去社會泛階層的支持。|date=2015 |publisher=Xianggang cai jing yi dong chu ban |language=Chinese}}</ref>}}
| predecessor      = [[Co-operative Resources Centre|Co-operative<br />Resources Centre]]
| youth_wing       = Liberal Party<br />Youth Committee
| seats1_title     = [[Executive Council of Hong Kong|Executive Council]]
| seats1           = {{Composition bar|1|33|hex={{party color|Liberal Party (Hong Kong)}}}}
| seats2_title     = {{nowrap|[[Legislative Council of Hong Kong|Legislative Council]]}}
| seats2           = {{Composition bar|4|90|hex={{party color|Liberal Party (Hong Kong)}}}}
| seats3_title     = [[District councils of Hong Kong|District Councils]]
| seats3           = {{Composition bar|8|470|hex={{party color|Liberal Party (Hong Kong)}}}}
| seats4_title     = [[National People's Congress|NPC]] (HK deputies)
| seats4           = {{Composition bar|1|36|hex={{party color|Liberal Party (Hong Kong)}}}}
| seats5_title     = {{nowrap|[[People's Political Consultative Conference|CPPCC]] (HK members)}}
| seats5           = {{Composition bar|4|124|hex={{party color|Liberal Party (Hong Kong)}}}}
| colours          = {{colour box|{{party color|Liberal Party (Hong Kong)}}}}{{colour box|#61BD44}} [[Blue]] and [[green]]<br />{{colour box|#FFEF21}} [[Yellow]] (formerly)
| website          = {{URL|http://www.liberal.org.hk/}}
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| order = jp
| showflag = stp
| t = 自由黨
| s = 自由党
| p = Zìyóu dǎng
| j = Zi<sup>6</sup> jau<sup>4</sup> dong<sup>2</sup>
| y = Jih yàuh dóng
}}
{{Politics of Hong Kong}}
{{Conservatism in Hong Kong}}
The '''Liberal Party''' ('''LP''') is a [[pro-Beijing camp (Hong Kong)|pro-Beijing]], [[pro-business]], and [[conservative]]<ref name="Conservative">{{cite book|title=Hong Kong's Transition to Chinese Rule: The Limits of Autonomy|first=Ralf|last=Horlemann|year=2013|publisher= Routledge|page=48}}</ref> political party in Hong Kong. Led by [[Tommy Cheung]] and chaired by [[Peter Shiu]], it holds four seats in the [[Legislative Council of Hong Kong|Legislative Council]], and holds five seats in the [[District Councils of Hong Kong|District Councils]].

Founded in 1993 on the basis of the [[Co-operative Resources Centre]], the Liberal Party was founded by a group of conservative politicians, businessmen and professionals who were either appointed by the [[Governor of Hong Kong|colonial governor]] or indirectly elected through the trade-based [[functional constituency (Hong Kong)|functional constituencies]], to counter the liberal [[United Democrats of Hong Kong]] who emerged from the [[1991 Hong Kong legislative election|first Legislative Council direct election]] in 1991.

Led by [[Allen Lee]], the party adopted a friendly approach with the [[Central People's Government|Beijing authorities]] to oppose last governor [[Chris Patten]]'s [[1994 Hong Kong electoral reform|constitutional reform proposal]] in the final [[British Hong Kong|colonial years]]. Enjoyed by the advantage in the narrowly franchised functional constituencies, the Liberals remained a major party and a governing ally of the SAR administration in the early post-handover era, despite its chairman Allen Lee's failed attempt in the [[1998 Hong Kong legislative election|direct election]].

The Liberal popularity rose to its peak in 2003 when party chairman [[James Tien (politician)|James Tien]] broke away from the government to voice against the [[Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23|Basic Law Article 23]] which eventually brought down the [[National Security (Legislative Provisions) Bill 2003|proposed bill]]. The Liberal Party enjoyed an electoral success in the [[2004 Hong Kong legislative election|2004 Legislative Council election]] where James Tien and vice chairwoman [[Selina Chow]] both won a seat in the direct election, bringing the party 10 seats in the legislature. Although the Liberal Party sits with the [[pro-establishment camp]] in the Legislative Council, it took a more ambiguous and sometimes rebellious stance against the SAR government under Tien's more moderate leadership and was called a "wall-rider" party in Hong Kong political discourse for swaying between supporting the pro-Beijing SAR administration and the voters on certain issues.<ref>{{cite web|title=自由黨屢分裂‎ 23條倒戈最經典‎ 田北俊近年成黨內「小眾」終退黨|url=
https://www.hk01.com/article/802473|publisher=HK01|date=2022-08-10}}</ref>

The party lost both of its directly elected seats in the [[2008 Hong Kong legislative election|2008 Legislative Council election]] and led to the split within the party where four of its seven legislators left the party. In the [[2012 Hong Kong Chief Executive election|2012 Chief Executive election]], the Liberals openly opposed [[Leung Chun-ying]] who became the eventual winner with Beijing's blessing. The party was then increasingly sidelined by the administration. In 2014, party leader James Tien was unseated from [[CPPCC]] for asking Leung to step down.

The Liberals lost their only directly elected seat when Tien retired in [[2016 Hong Kong legislative election|2016]], dwindling to four seats in the legislature. The party was divided in the [[2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive election|2017 Chief Executive election]] when the wing led by former party leader James Tien supported [[Financial Secretary of Hong Kong|Financial Secretary]] [[John Tsang]] while the wing led by party chairman and [[Executive Council of Hong Kong|Executive Councillor]] Tommy Cheung voted for [[Chief Secretary for Administration|Chief Secretary]] [[Carrie Lam]] who was Beijing's favourite. The party became further polarized over the proposed [[2019 Hong Kong extradition bill|extradition bill controversy]] and the [[2019–20 Hong Kong protests|9 June protest]] with Tien's faction wanting to scrap the bill and calling for Lam's resignation while the new Liberal Party leadership expressed their support for Lam.<ref>{{cite web|title=自由黨屢分裂‎ 23條倒戈最經典‎ 田北俊近年成黨內「小眾」終退黨|url=
https://www.hk01.com/article/802473|publisher=HK01|date=2022-08-10}}</ref> Some members of Tien's moderate faction founded the  [[Hope for Hong Kong]] organisation to explore a middle ground between the pro-Beijing and pro-democracy camps. Tien's faction were later forced out from the party when the central committee decided to scrap the titles of honorary chairperson in August 2022.

==Party beliefs==
Formed by businessmen and tycoons from various business sectors in Hong Kong, the Liberal Party is considered [[conservative]] and [[pro-business]]. In reference to the Liberal Party name, founding chairman [[Allen Lee]] said that "liberalism" would be the party's cherished ideal, with its values being [[free enterprise]], [[equal opportunity]], and [[individual freedom]],<ref name="JPRS">{{cite book|page=41|title=JPRS Report: China, Issues 21–30|publisher=Foreign Broadcast Information Service|year=1993}}</ref> but it expounds [[liberal conservative]] economic policies such as opposition to a [[minimum wage]], [[collective bargaining]] and [[antitrust]] legislation. The Liberals also support limited government, low taxes, a high degree of [[economic freedom]] and uphold the interests of [[small and medium enterprises]]. Early on, the Liberal Party was close to the British administration with some of the party's founders being appointed to roles within the colonial government. However, the party shifted towards the [[pro-Beijing camp]] in the run-up to the [[handover of Hong Kong]] due to electoral reforms enacted by the British administration and the rise of the [[pro-democracy camp]] which the party claimed would threaten a smooth transition of power and economic relations with mainland China.

The party does not advocate welfare entitlements. Many of its members are from professionals, the merchant and business sectors and see preserving the current state of economic freedom as most advantageous for Hong Kong as a whole. The party adheres to [[social conservatism]] and opposes [[same-sex marriage]].<ref name="gay">{{cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1351673/turnout-doubles-gay-pride-march|title=Turnout doubles for gay pride march|newspaper=South China Morning Post|date=10 November 2013}}</ref> The party supported the [[functional constituency (Hong Kong)|functional constituency]] which represented the business interest that they should stay in the [[Legislative Council of Hong Kong|Legislative Council]].

Despite being regarded as part of the pro-Beijing camp, the relations between Liberal Party and Hong Kong SAR government is not extremely friendly and the party has not shied away from criticising SAR administrations on some measures.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hong Kong pro-establishment camp divided by extradition bill fallout as Liberal Party's James Tien calls on three Executive Council members to resign|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3017668/hong-kongs-liberal-party-deeply-split-over-extradition-bill|date=9 July 2019|newspaper=South China Morning Post}}</ref> Its chairman [[James Tien (politician)|James Tien]]'s resignation from the [[Executive Council of Hong Kong|Executive Council]] in 2003 forced the government to back down from legislation of [[Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23|Article 23]] of the [[Hong Kong Basic Law|Basic Law]], which ultimately accelerated the downfall of the [[Tung Chee-hwa]] administration. It has remained critical of the government of Chief Executive [[Leung Chun-ying]] who won in the [[2012 Hong Kong Chief Executive election|2012 chief executive election]], which the Liberal Party supported Leung's rival [[Henry Tang]] and cast blank votes instead of voting for Leung. On some issues, the Liberal Party has either adopted a neutral stance or has swung between supporting the pro-Beijing camp and voters, prompting dissatisfied responses from both sides although the party has generally positioned itself as supportive of the SAR government. After [[Carrie Lam]] was elected as Chief Executive, the party was accused of growing closer to the government and further from the founding members of the party and the leadership of James Tien. During the [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests]] the party was divided on whether to support the [[2019 Hong Kong extradition bill]], with former party leader [[Felix Chung]] arguing the SAR government should not rush into passing such a legislation while [[Tommy Cheung]] supported it. Others such as Tien argued for Lam to resign as Chief Executive.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20220810/bkn-20220810162716207-0810_00822_001.html |title=The Liberal Party repeatedly broke out internal strife and storms over the amendment bill, prompting Zhang Yuren to bid farewell. Tian Beijun was dismissed from the CPPCC 原文網址：自由黨屢爆內訌 修例風波促張宇人辭行會 田北俊政協被搣柴 |website=on.cc東網 |access-date=2024-04-09}}</ref> Due to its history of rebelling against the government, it is also seen as maverick in the pro-Beijing camp.<ref>{{cite news|title=Who are the 11 new Hongkongers elected to China's legislature – and what impact will they have on policy making?|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2124887/eleven-new-faces-picked-represent-hong-kong-chinas-national|date=19 December 2017|newspaper=South China Morning Post}}</ref>

==History==

===Background===
The Liberal Party was founded on the basis of a loose political grouping [[Co-operative Resources Centre]] (CRC) in 1993. The Co-operative Resources Centre was formed by the conservative faction in the [[Legislative Council of Hong Kong|Legislative Council]] (LegCo) as a counter-force to the new emerged [[pro-democracy camp|pro-democratic]] [[United Democrats of Hong Kong]] who won a landslide victory in the [[1991 Hong Kong legislative election|first Legislative Council direct elections]] in 1991.<ref name="Chung"/> Led by the [[Senior Unofficial Member]] [[Allen Lee]] and his fellow LegCo colleagues, [[Steven Poon]], [[Selina Chow]] and [[Stephen Cheong]], 12 legislators appointed by the British colonial government and 8 legislators indirectly elected by the [[functional constituency (Hong Kong)|functional constituencies]] aligned themselves and formed the CRC as a think tank, research unit and brain trust for a future political group.<ref name="Chung">{{cite book|page=[https://archive.org/details/hongkongsjourney00chun/page/191 191]|title=Hong Kong's Journey to Reunification: Memoirs of Sze-yuen Chung|url=https://archive.org/details/hongkongsjourney00chun|editor-first=Sze Yuen|editor-last=Chung|publisher=Chinese University Press|year=2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|page=106|title=Narratives, Politics, and the Public Sphere: Struggles Over Political Reform in the Final Transitional Years in Hong Kong (1992–1994)|first=Agnes S. M.|last=Ku|publisher=Ashgate Publishing Company|year=1999}}</ref> Four of the legislative council members, Allen Lee, Selina Chow, [[Rita Fan]] and [[Edward Ho]] had also been appointed members of the [[Executive Council of Hong Kong|Executive Council]] (ExCo).<ref>{{cite book|page=63|title=九七過渡: 香港的挑戰|publisher=Chinese University Press|year=1997}}</ref> This group of conservative elites shared a dislike for the United Democrats but lacked a common philosophy and ambition. Sir [[Sze Yuen Chung]], the former senior unofficial member of the executive and legislative councils, suggested Lee and Poon to abandon any pretense of being above politics and form a proper political party with its belief, vision, discipline and platform.<ref name="Chung"/>

===Founding and Allen Lee chairmanship (1993–1998)===
[[File:Liberal Party logo 1993.png|thumb|right|First logo used from 1993 to 2004]]
The Liberal Party was officially launched on 6 June 1993 with Allen Lee and [[Ronald Arculli]] as the first chairman and vice-chairman. The party was originally considered close to the British colonial administration in part due to its scepticism of expanding universal suffrage, but wishing to see a smooth [[transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong|transition of sovereignty over Hong Kong]], the Liberal Party strongly opposed [[Governor of Hong Kong|Governor]] [[Chris Patten]]'s [[1994 Hong Kong electoral reform|democratic reform]] as it was seen as a violation [[Sino-British Joint Declaration]] by the [[PRC government]] and began to align itself more to the pro-Beijing camp as a result. The Liberal Party offered an amendment to the reform package known as the "1994 Plan" which was supported by Beijing, but this was defeated in the legislative council.

The Liberal Party fielded candidates for the first time in the [[1994 Hong Kong local elections|1994 District Board elections]], reaping 18 seats.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liberal.org.hk/contents/ |title=1994年 大事紀要 |work=Liberal Party |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041102055615/http://www.liberal.org.hk/contents/ |archive-date=2 November 2004 }}</ref> In the [[1995 Hong Kong legislative election|1995 Legislative Council election]], Chairman Allen Lee successfully gained the party's first seat in the [[New Territories North-east (constituency)|New Territories North-east]] direct election with nine other seats gained in the indirect [[functional constituency]] elections, focused on business interests. The party has maintained its unbalanced advantages in the business sector's indirect elections in functional constituencies while having few success in the popular direct elections in [[geographical constituencies]]. During the last years of British rule and early years of the SAR administration, the party remained one of the three largest in Legco, behind the pro-democratic [[Democratic Party (Hong Kong)|Democratic Party]] and ahead of the Beijing-loyalist [[Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong]] (DAB).

In January 1996, Allen Lee, [[Lau Wong-fat]], [[Howard Young (politician)|Howard Young]] and [[Ngai Shiu-kit]] were invited by the Beijing government to the [[Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong SAR]]. Fourteen Liberal Party members including Allen Lee, Ronald Arculli and James Tien subsequently became members of the 400-member [[Selection Committee (Hong Kong)|Selection Committee]] which was responsible for electing the first [[chief executive of Hong Kong]] and the [[Provisional Legislative Council]] (PLC) in November. 10 members were elected to the [[Provisional Legislative Council]] and member [[Henry Tang]] was also appointed to the Provisional Executive Council by Chief Executive-elect [[Tung Chee-hwa]] in December 1996.

In May 1998, the Liberal Party participated in the [[1998 Hong Kong legislative election|first Legislative Council election]] after the handover, although the party won all of its 10 seats in the functional constituency and [[Election Committee (constituency)|Election Committee]] indirect elections, Chairman Allen Lee lost in the [[New Territories East (constituency)|New Territories East]] direct election. Lee decided not to run in 2000 and resigned as chairman in December. James Tien succeeded Lee as the new chairman and Arculli and Selina Chow were elected vice-chairmen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liberal.org.hk/contents/ |title=1998年 大事紀要 |work=Liberal Party |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041102055615/http://www.liberal.org.hk/contents/ |archive-date=2 November 2004 }}</ref>

===James Tien chairmanship and 2003 crisis (1998–2003)===
In the [[1999 Hong Kong local elections|1999 District Council elections]], the Liberal Party won 16 elected seats, with James Tien and Howard Young elected in the [[Peak (constituency)|Peak]] and [[Bays Area (constituency)|Bays Area]]. The party also had 9 appointed seats and 2 ''ex officio'' seats, including chairman of the [[Tuen Mun Rural Committee]] Lau Wong-fat as the ''ex officio'' member of the [[Tuen Mun District Council]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liberal.org.hk/contents/ |title=1999年 大事紀要 |work=Liberal Party |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041102055615/http://www.liberal.org.hk/contents/ |archive-date=2 November 2004 }}</ref> In the [[2000 Hong Kong legislative election|2000 Legislative Council elections]], 7 Liberal Party legislators were elected, with [[Tommy Cheung]] winning in the new [[Catering (constituency)|Catering]] functional constituency. In September 2000, [[Miriam Lau]] became party's vice-chairwoman after Ronald Arcullli announced that he would not run in the next legislative council elections and resigned as vice-chairman.

The Liberal Party had been the ally of the [[Tung Chee-hwa]]'s administration. In March 2000, Vice-chairwoman Selina Chow was appointed chair of the [[Hong Kong Tourist Association]], which was later transformed into the [[Hong Kong Tourism Board]]. The Tourist Board was regarded as the fiefdom of the Liberals. After Selina Chow stepped down in 2007, James Tien was appointed by [[Donald Tsang]] to succeed her as the chair of the board.<ref>{{cite book|page=223|title=The Dynamics of Beijing-Hong Kong Relations: A Model for Taiwan?|first=Sonny Shiu-hing|last=Lo|publisher=Hong Kong University Press|year=2008}}</ref> In July 2002 when chief executive Tung Chee-hwa carried out the [[Principal Officials Accountability System]] (POAS) in the beginning of his second term. Party chairman James Tien was appointed to the executive council alongside the DAB chairman [[Tsang Yok-sing]] as the coalition of the Tung administration. The former Liberal Party's ExCo member Henry Tang was appointed [[Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology]]. However the governing coalition between Tung Chee-hwa the Beijing-loyalist DAB and the pro-business Liberal Party suffered from growing disunity as the popularity of Tung administration dropped. The Liberal Party was increasingly frustrated by unequal political exchange with the government and the skimpy political rewards meted out by Tung. James Tien even openly aired his displeasure and advocated power sharing with the government.<ref>{{cite book|page=29|title=The First Tung Chee-hwa Administration: The First Five Years of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region|first1=Zhaojia|last1=Liu|first2=Siu-kai|last2=Lau|publisher=Chinese University Press|year=2002}}</ref>

In September 2002, the SAR government issued the consultation document for the [[National Security (Legislative Provisions) Bill 2003|national security legislation]] to implement the [[Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23|Article 23]] of the [[Hong Kong Basic Law|Basic Law]], which outlaws treason, sedition, subversion and secession against the central government. The Liberal Party agreed the principle of safeguarding the national security but suggested amendments to the bill. After a record-breaking number of people [[July 1 marches#2003 protest|demonstrated on 1 July 2003]] against the Article 23, James Tien resigned from the executive council on 6 July 2003 to force the government to delay the legislation. Without Liberal Party's support, the government was forced to shelve the [[second reading]] because of short of votes in the legislative council. This exception to the party's usual pro-government policy was popular and temporarily calmed friction between pro-government and the pro-democracy forces. Some pro-Beijing leftists, however, felt that this demonstrated the opportunistic nature of the party. In September 2003, Tung Chee-hwa appointed Selina Chow to Executive Council to replace Tien's vacancy.

===Liberal surge (2003–2008)===
[[File:Liberal Party  (Hong Kong) logo.png|thumb|right|Second logo used from 2003 to 2011]]
In Liberal Party's visit to Beijing in September 2003, the party expressed its opinion on Article 23 and its support to the SAR government. It subsequently changed its party logo and slogan, adding the red colour to express its patriotic sentiment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liberal.org.hk/contents/ |title=2003年 大事紀要 |work=Liberal Party |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041102055615/http://www.liberal.org.hk/contents/ |archive-date=2 November 2004 }}</ref> At almost the same time, the Liberal Party shifted its stance on [[Democratic development in Hong Kong|political development]] from "all Legislative Council members should be directly elected in 2007" to "Hong Kong should become more democratic."  The founder and ex-chair of Liberal Party, Allen Lee, decided to leave the party since he believed the change was against public sentiment. The party's stance on universal suffrage then became similar to that of the DAB, namely, that universal suffrage should be implemented in or after 2012 rather than in 2007/2008. The party won 14 elected seats in the [[2003 Hong Kong local elections|District Council elections]] in November 2003.

The Liberal Party saw its greatest success in the [[2004 Hong Kong legislative election|2004 Legislative Council election]]. With its success in gaining two seats from the [[geographical constituency|geographical constituencies]] through direct elections, which chairman James Tien in New Territories East and Vice-chairwoman Selina Chow in [[New Territories West (constituency)|New Territories West]], while retaining those seats in the [[Functional constituency (Hong Kong)|functional constituencies]], the party increased its seats from 8 to 10, overtaking the Democratic Party for the first time since 1995 to become the second-largest political party in the legislature.

When Donald Tsang took over in November 2005, the party continued its generally pro-government stance and its warm relationship with Tsang administration. However the support for the chief executive could not be taken for granted.<ref>{{cite book|page=73|title=Has He Got the Job Done?: An Evaluation of Donald Tsang's Administration|editor1-first=Joseph Yü-shuo|editor1-last=Cheng|editor2-first=Yushuo|editor2-last=Zheng|publisher=City University of HK Press|year=2013}}</ref> On 13 January 2006, the Liberal Party opposed Donald Tsang's plan to implement a five-day working week for most civil servants, due to concerns that this would put too much pressure on small to medium-sized enterprises to follow suit. The change went ahead and was widely adopted in the private sector. There is no planned legislation to force private employers to commit to a five-day working week. The Liberal Party supported Donald Tsang in his [[2007 Hong Kong Chief Executive election|2007 chief executive re-election]]. In exchange, Tsang quickly appointed James Tien as the head of the Hong Kong Tourism Board after he was elected.<ref>{{cite book|page=76|title=Patron-Client Politics and Elections in Hong Kong|first=Bruce Kam|last=Kwong|publisher=Routledge|year=2009}}</ref>

===2008 split (2008–2012)===
The fate of the party hung in the balance after its poor showing in the [[2008 Hong Kong legislative election|2008 Legislative Council election]]. The party won seven seats, all in the [[Functional constituency (Hong Kong)|functional constituencies]], eliminating its limited public mandate; James Tien and Selina Chow both lost their geographical constituency seats, and both resigned their party functions.<ref name=doomed>Gary Cheung, Ambrose Leung & Fanny Fung, "Liberals doomed, says founding chief", 11 September 2008, Page A1, ''South China Morning Post''</ref> 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.<ref>Ambrose Leung & Fanny Fung, "Heung Yee Kuk chairman quits Liberal Party", 12 September 2008, Page A2, ''South China Morning Post''</ref> Former chairman Allen Lee said that the party was now "doomed" following their poll defeat because of a succession crisis and lack of funding.<ref name=doomed/> Miriam Lau succeeded Tien as the chairwoman of the party, while [[Tommy Cheung]] and [[Vincent Fang Kang|Vincent Fang]] became vice-chairmen.

On 9 October 2008, three Legislative Councillors, [[Jeffrey Lam]], [[Sophie Leung]], and [[Andrew Leung]], resigned from the party, citing internal party disagreements. Lam had been angling for the party leadership since Tien's resignation and his candidacy was endorsed by all six Legislative Councillors until Miriam Lau stepped in the leadership election. These resignations, along with the resignation of Lau Wong-fat, reduced the Liberal Party from seven Legislative Councillors to three.<ref>Bonnie Chen, "[http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=72636&sid=20924098&con_type=1 Chaos as Liberal trio revolts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522083621/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=72636&sid=20924098&con_type=1 |date=22 May 2011 }}", 9 October 2008 ''The Standard''</ref> The resigned four later formed [[Economic Synergy]], which merged into the [[Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong]] today.

The debate over the [[Minimum Wage Ordinance|minimum wage legislation]] in 2010 further caused intra-party conflicts. Vice-chairman Tommy Cheung who represented the catering employers' interests in the Catering functional constituency was under fire when he suggested that the first statutory minimum rate should just be HK$20 (US$2.5).<ref>{{cite news|title=Lawmaker apologizes for HK$20 hourly wage plan|first=Elmer W.|last=Cagape|date=25 March 2010|work=Asian Correspondent|url=http://asiancorrespondent.com/30254/lawmaker-apologizes-for-hk20-hourly-wage-plan/}}</ref> To project its "conscionable employer" image, the party suggested that the statutory minimum wage should be HK$24 an hour and made a clean break with Cheung.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edu.sina.com.hk/news/15/4/1/56773/1.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140128120543/http://edu.sina.com.hk/news/15/4/1/56773/1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 January 2014|work=Ming Pao|title=Tommy Cheung is liability|date=25 March 2010}}</ref> On other hand, James Tien's brother, [[Michael Tien|Michael]], split from the party after his position of backing a campaign to boycott [[Cafe de Coral]] over its plans to offer workers a pay rise if they gave up their right to a paid lunch break shocked the party ranks and was fiercely attacked by Tommy Cheung.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/article/731003/michael-tien-splits-liberals-citing-principles|title=Michael Tien splits from Liberals, citing principles|date=20 November 2010|first=Ambrose|last=Leung|newspaper=South China Morning Post}}</ref> As a result, Michael Tien split from the party in November and subsequently joined [[Regina Ip]]'s newly formed [[New People's Party (Hong Kong)|New People's Party]] and Tommy Cheung also resigned as party's vice-chairman. After Cheung's resignation, James Tien and Selina Chow officially returned to the party leadership when Tien was appointed the honorary chairman in December 2010 and Chow succeeded Cheung as the vice-chairwoman for the second time in January 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=James Tien and Chow leading Liberals again|date=17 December 2010|first1=Ambrose|last1=Leung|first2=Fanny W. Y.|last2=Fun|newspaper=South China Morning Post|url=https://www.scmp.com/article/733579/james-tien-and-chow-leading-liberals-again}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://liberal.org.hk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=285&mid=49&lang=en|title=自由黨正、副主席的選舉結果公佈 (2011年1月6日)|work=Liberal Party|date=6 January 2011|access-date=28 January 2014|archive-date=2 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202120247/http://liberal.org.hk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=285&mid=49&lang=en|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the [[2012 Hong Kong Chief Executive election|2012 Chief Executive election]], the Liberal Party was the high-profile supporter of Henry Tang, its former party member. After Henry Tang suffered from the [[Henry Tang illegal basement controversy|illegal basement scandal]], the party unanimously decided its [[Election Committee]] members could either vote for Henry Tang or cast blank votes, but not to vote for [[Leung Chun-ying]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Tang or Blank|first=Phila|last=Siu|date=22 March 2012|newspaper=The Standard|url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=120936&con_type=3|access-date=19 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219200948/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=120936&con_type=3|archive-date=19 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The party remained critical of Leung administration. In August 2013,  James Tien described Leung as "the worst chief executive so far" on a talk show.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=136872&sid=40230715&con_type=1&d_str=20130826&fc=1|work=The Standard|title=CY the worst chief executive yet, storms Tien|date=26 August 2013|access-date=28 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203025524/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=136872&sid=40230715&con_type=1&d_str=20130826&fc=1|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> In October 2013, the Liberal Party even joined the [[pan-democrats]] in signing a petition to urge the Leung administration to re-consider its decision to not give a free-to-air TV license to [[Hong Kong Television Network]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Liberals press for TV license answers|date=28 October 2013|work=The Standard|url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=42398|access-date=28 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203024521/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=42398|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Liberals under Leung government (2012–2017)===
The party rebounded its seats in the legislative council from 3 to 5 in the [[2012 Hong Kong legislative election|2012 Hong Kong Legislative Council election]] with James Tien regained his direct elected seat in the New Territories East geographical constituency. However, Miriam Lau, who lost in her attempt in [[Hong Kong Island (constituency)|Hong Kong Island]] direct election, resigned as chairwoman. Following a three-month period with [[Vincent Fang (entrepreneur)|Vincent Fang]] as acting chairman, on 15 December 2012, Selina Chow was elected chairperson, unopposed.<ref>[https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1039294/city-digest-september-18-2012 Liberal Party picks acting chairman], SCMP, City Digest, 18 September 2012</ref><ref name=RTHK>[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/news.htm?main&20121215&56&889627 Chow new chairperson of Liberal Party], RTHK News, 15 December 2012, Accessed 15 December 2012</ref> James Tien and Miriam Lau continued to serve as Honorary Chairpersons, while Fang and [[Felix Chung]] became vice-chairmen. It was also stated that a new party leader post would be created, along with three vice-chairmen to groom successors. A new post "party leader" was created in May 2013. James Tien was elected as the first party leader.

During the [[2014 Hong Kong protests]], James Tien called on Chief Executive CY Leung to resign, leading to the hearing of a call to eject him as a member of the [[Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference]] (CPPCC).<ref>[http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20141028/news_20141028_56_1049342.htm# James Tien faces CPPCC expulsion] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028185230/http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20141028/news_20141028_56_1049342.htm |date=28 October 2014 }}, RTHK, 28 October 2014</ref> Tien was formally stripped of his post at the meeting on 29 October, making him the first person in history to have received this sanction.  Tien stepped down from his position as the leader of the Liberal Party after the removal.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/30/world/asia/james-tien-china-hong-kong-expelled.html|title=Politician Who Called for Hong Kong Leader's Resignation Is Formally Penalized|work=New York Times|date=29 October 2014|access-date=31 October 2014}}</ref> Tien and Selina Chow joined Miriam Lau to become the honorary chairmen in the following leadership election on 1 December while Vincent Fang and Felix Chung became the new Leader and chairman respectively and [[Eastern District Council]]lor [[Peter Shiu]] became the party's vice-chairman. Although not holding any executive position in the party, Tien has remained the spokesman and ''de facto'' leader of the Liberal Party.

In the [[2016 Hong Kong legislative election|2016 Legislative Council election]], party honorary chairman James Tien stood as a second candidate behind his young party member [[Dominic Lee]]. Both of them failed to retain the Liberals' only seat in the geographical constituencies. Although failing in ousting BPA's Jeffrey Lam in [[Commercial (First)]], the Liberals retained other four trade-based functional constituencies with vice-chairman Peter Shiu succeeded the retiring party leader Vincent Fang's [[Wholesale and Retail (constituency)|Wholesale and Retail]] seat. The party's New Territories West candidate Ken Chow Wing-kan announced he would withdraw from the race before the election due to an "external force" threatened him and his family.<ref>{{cite news|title=Election bombshell: threats and attempted bribery alleged as Hong Kong's New Territories West LegCo candidate drops out of poll race|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2009109/hong-kongs-new-territories-west-candidate-drops-out-race|newspaper=South China Morning Post|date=26 August 2016|first1=Jeffie|last1=Lam|first2=Joyce|last2=Ng}}</ref>

The Liberal Party elected Felix Chung and Tommy Cheung as the new leader and chairman after the election in October, with CPPCC member Alan Hoo and Eastern District Councillor Lee Chun-keung elected as vice-chairmen along with Peter Shiu. The new leadership was seen as more moderate with less vocal anti-Leung Chun-ying stance.<ref>{{cite news|title=是否繼續「ABC」反梁 自由黨鬧分歧|url=http://www.hk01.com/%E6%B8%AF%E8%81%9E/47275/%E6%98%AF%E5%90%A6%E7%B9%BC%E7%BA%8C-ABC-%E5%8F%8D%E6%A2%81-%E8%87%AA%E7%94%B1%E9%BB%A8%E9%AC%A7%E5%88%86%E6%AD%A7-|work=HK01|date=7 October 2016}}</ref> Cheung was subsequently appointed by Leung to the executive council. Although claiming he has gotten the endorsement from the party, Cheung's move was criticised by Tien.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hong Kong leader appoints two new cabinet members just four months from leadership race|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2049273/hong-kong-leader-appoints-two-new-cabinet-members-just-four|date=25 November 2016|newspaper=South China Morning Post}}</ref>

===Liberals in Lam government (2017–2022)===
In the [[2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive election|2017 Chief Executive election]], the Liberals were split between former [[Chief Secretary for Administration|Chief Secretary]] [[Carrie Lam]] and former [[Financial Secretary of Hong Kong|Financial Secretary]] [[John Tsang]]. The party honorary chairman James Tien was first of the few pro-Beijing electors to publicly endorse Tsang.<ref>{{cite news|title=【特首選戰】薯片叔參選第一票！ 義氣田大少撐可促和諧|url=http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/realtime/news/20170119/56195841|newspaper=Apple Daily|date=19 January 2017}}</ref> Honorary chairwoman Selina Chow and leader Felix Chung also endorsed Tsang, making the Liberal Party the only pro-Beijing party to nominate Tsang, although some Liberal electors such as chairman Tommy Cheung nominated Lam.<ref name="160nominations">{{cite news|title=【特首選戰】鬍鬚曾160張提名曝光有咩建制派撐？爾冬陞田大少周梁上榜|url=http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/realtime/news/20170225/56352650/|date=25 February 2017|newspaper=Apple Daily}}</ref>

The Carrie Lam administration reached out to the Liberals when she appointed two Liberal members, [[Joseph Chan Ho-lim|Joseph Chan]] and Mark Fu into the government as Political Assistants.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/realtime/news/20170801/57025964|title=狼英離任與政府破冰 自由黨兩人入政府|newspaper=蘋果日報|date=1 August 2017}}</ref> The Liberal Party lost its own seat in the [[National People's Congress]] after incumbent Miriam Lau retired from the national legislature and its candidate Nicholas Chan Hiu-fung failed to gain a seat in the [[National People's Congress election, 2017 (Hong Kong)|2017 election]]. As supplementary member, Chan became the delegate after [[Peter Wong Man-kong]] died in March 2019.

The Liberal leadership was deeply divided over the [[2019 Hong Kong extradition bill|extradition bill controversy]] in 2019. After the [[2019–20 Hong Kong protests|9 June protest]] which drew over a million people marching in the streets as the organisers claimed, the [[Carrie Lam as Chief Executive of Hong Kong|Carrie Lam administration]] issued a statement it was determined to resume the debate on the bill in the legislative council. The Liberal Party quickly followed and issued its own statement in support of the government. However, former party chairman and leader James Tien had been outspoken for his opposition to the bill. On 8 July when the government finally backed down as Carrie Lam declared the bill was dead, James Tien and three other honorary chairmen of the party, Selina Chow, Miriam Lau and Vincent Fang called on Tommy Cheung who was an executive councillor at Lam's cabinet to resign as he failed to relay public opposition to the bill, but was refused by Cheung.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hong Kong pro-establishment camp divided by extradition bill fallout as Liberal Party's James Tien calls on three Executive Council members to resign|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3017668/hong-kongs-liberal-party-deeply-split-over-extradition-bill|date=9 July 2019|newspaper=South China Morning Post}}</ref> James Tien publicly called for the resignation of Carrie Lam as chief executive.<ref>{{cite web | url-access=limited  |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/247953171912743/2894742697233764 |archive-date = 2022-04-30| url = https://www.facebook.com/247953171912743/posts/2894742697233764 |title = 田北俊（James Tien） on Facebook  |website=[[Facebook]]}}{{cbignore}}{{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref><ref>[https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1477930-20190831.htm|title=James Tien: CE should quit to end crisis] RTHK, 31 August 2019]</ref>

In 2020, members of the moderate Tien faction also announced the foundation of the [[Hope for Hong Kong]] organisation after accusing the Liberal Party's leadership of growing too close to Beijing which aimed to explore a middle ground between the pro-Beijing and pro-democracy camps.<ref>{{cite news|title=田北俊組「希望聯盟」冀重返中間路線 主力直選料不會對撼自由黨|url=https://www.hk01.com/%E6%94%BF%E6%83%85/487024/%E7%94%B0%E5%8C%97%E4%BF%8A%E7%B5%84-%E5%B8%8C%E6%9C%9B%E8%81%AF%E7%9B%9F-%E5%86%80%E9%87%8D%E8%BF%94%E4%B8%AD%E9%96%93%E8%B7%AF%E7%B7%9A-%E4%B8%BB%E5%8A%9B%E7%9B%B4%E9%81%B8%E6%96%99%E4%B8%8D%E6%9C%83%E5%B0%8D%E6%92%BC%E8%87%AA%E7%94%B1%E9%BB%A8|date=2020-06-17|work=香港01}}</ref>

=== Expulsion of Tien faction (2022–present) ===
In the [[2021 Hong Kong legislative election|2021 legislative election]], [[Felix Chung]], member of the Tien faction, was defeated in his constituency of [[Textiles and Garment (constituency)|Textiles and Garment]] after the [[2021 Hong Kong electoral changes|revamp of the electoral system]], while the party retained a total of 4 seats in the parliament.<ref>{{Cite web |title=立法會選舉｜鍾國斌平常心面對落敗 笑說「咪當我無中央支持囉」|date=2021-12-20|url=https://news.mingpao.com/ins/%e6%b8%af%e8%81%9e/article/20211220/s00001/1639989587486/%e7%ab%8b%e6%b3%95%e6%9c%83%e9%81%b8%e8%88%89-%e9%8d%be%e5%9c%8b%e6%96%8c%e5%b9%b3%e5%b8%b8%e5%bf%83%e9%9d%a2%e5%b0%8d%e8%90%bd%e6%95%97-%e7%ac%91%e8%aa%aa%e3%80%8c%e5%92%aa%e7%95%b6%e6%88%91%e7%84%a1%e4%b8%ad%e5%a4%ae%e6%94%af%e6%8c%81%e5%9b%89%e3%80%8d%e3%80%90%e7%9f%ad%e7%89%87%e3%80%91 |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=Ming Pao|language=zh-hant}}</ref> On 10 May 2022, the party elected [[Tommy Cheung]] as the new leader as the position is, per custom, occupied by a LegCo member.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-11 |title=自由黨換屆邵家輝任主席：近年商界聲音比勞工界掩蓋望能平衡 |url=https://www.inmediahk.net/node/%E6%94%BF%E7%B6%93/%E8%87%AA%E7%94%B1%E9%BB%A8%E6%8F%9B%E5%B1%86%E9%82%B5%E5%AE%B6%E8%BC%9D%E4%BB%BB%E4%B8%BB%E5%B8%AD%EF%BC%9A%E8%BF%91%E5%B9%B4%E5%95%86%E7%95%8C%E8%81%B2%E9%9F%B3%E6%AF%94%E5%8B%9E%E5%B7%A5%E7%95%8C%E6%8E%A9%E8%93%8B%E6%9C%9B%E8%83%BD%E5%B9%B3%E8%A1%A1 |website=Inmedia}}</ref> The Liberal Party leadership also supported [[John Lee (government official)|John Lee]] during his [[2022 Hong Kong Chief Executive election|campaign]] as the Chief Executive and after his election victory.<ref>{{Cite web |last=頭條日報 |title=李家超當選｜自由黨盼新政府與立法會議員保持良性互動 |url=https://hd.stheadline.com/news/realtime/hk/2335600/即時-港聞-李家超當選-自由黨盼新政府與立法會議員保持良性互動 |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=頭條日報 Headline Daily |date=8 May 2022 |language=zh-yue-Hant-HK}}</ref> Cheung stayed as a member of the Executive Council.

On 10 August 2022, three honorary chairpersons, [[James Tien (politician)|James Tien]], [[Miriam Lau]], and [[Selina Chow]], who supported non-establishment candidate in the last year's election, decided to resign and quit the party to protest after the Central Committee discussed removing the titles without consulting them.<ref>{{Cite web |title=田北俊等三自由黨元老宣布退黨 |url=https://www2.hkej.com/instantnews/current/article/3212753/%E7%94%B0%E5%8C%97%E4%BF%8A%E7%AD%89%E4%B8%89%E8%87%AA%E7%94%B1%E9%BB%A8%E5%85%83%E8%80%81%E5%AE%A3%E5%B8%83%E9%80%80%E9%BB%A8 |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=信報網站 hkej.com}}</ref> Tien said the leadership did not follow the party's traditions, while Chow expressed disappointment as the decision was not sound. Angered by the "disrespect" from the leadership, Chow attacked Shiu, the chairman, for "dictating" party reform. The Central Committee agreed the abolition unanimously later that day, and thank their contributions in a statement.<ref>{{cite web|title=批獨斷撤銜 3榮譽主席退自由黨 田北俊周梁劉健儀稱冒犯失望 黨：經多次討論|url=
https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%e8%a6%81%e8%81%9e/article/20220811/s00001/1660155123004|date=2022-08-11|publisher=Ming Pao}}</ref> The shake-up of the party leadership marked the end of the Tien era, whose moderate faction started to lose power after Carrie Lam became leader and the defeat of Chung.<ref>{{cite web|title=自由黨屢分裂‎ 23條倒戈最經典‎ 田北俊近年成黨內「小眾」終退黨
|url=https://www.hk01.com/article/802473|publisher=HK01|date=2022-08-11}}</ref>

==Election performance==

===Legislative Council elections===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|-align=center
! '''Election'''
! Number of<br />popular votes
! % of<br />popular votes
! [[Geographical constituency|GC]]<br />seats
! [[Functional constituency (Hong Kong)|FC]]<br />seats
! [[Election Committee (constituency)|EC]]<br />seats
! Total seats
! +/−
! Position
|-
! [[1995 Hong Kong legislative election|1995]]
| 15,216{{nochange}}
| 1.67{{nochange}}
| 1
| 9
| 0
| {{Composition bar|10|60|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 5{{decrease}}
| 2nd{{nochange}}
|-
! [[1998 Hong Kong legislative election|1998]]
| 50,335{{increase}}
| 3.40{{increase}}
| 0
| 9
| 1
| {{Composition bar|10|60|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| {{nochange}}
| 3rd{{nochange}}
|-
! [[2000 Hong Kong legislative election|2000]]
| 24,858{{decrease}}
| 1.88{{decrease}}
| 0
| 8
| 0
| {{Composition bar|8|60|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 2{{decrease}}
| 3rd{{nochange}}
|-
! [[2004 Hong Kong legislative election|2004]]
| 118,997{{increase}}
| 6.67{{increase}}
| 2
| 8
| rowspan=4| 
| {{Composition bar|10|60|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 2{{increase}}
| 2nd{{increase}}
|-
! [[2008 Hong Kong legislative election|2008]]
| 65,622{{decrease}}
| 4.33{{decrease}}
| 0
| 7
| {{Composition bar|7|60|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 3{{decrease}}
| 3rd{{decrease}}
|-
! [[2012 Hong Kong legislative election|2012]]
| 48,702{{decrease}}
| 2.64{{decrease}}
| 1
| 4
| {{Composition bar|5|70|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 2{{decrease}}
| 5th{{increase}}
|-
! [[2016 Hong Kong legislative election|2016]]
| 21,500{{decrease}}
| 0.99{{decrease}}
| 0
| 4
| {{Composition bar|4|70|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 1{{decrease}}
| 6th{{decrease}}
|-
! [[2021 Hong Kong legislative election|2021]]
| –
| –
| 0
| 3
| 1
| {{Composition bar|4|90|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| {{nochange}}
| 5th{{increase}}
|}

===Municipal elections===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|-align=center
! Election
! Number of<br />popular votes
! % of<br />popular votes
! [[Urban Council of Hong Kong|UrbCo]]<br />seats
! [[Regional Council of Hong Kong|RegCo]]<br />seats
! Total<br />elected seats
|-
! [[1995 Hong Kong municipal elections|1995]]
| 7,188{{nochange}}
| 1.29{{nochange}}
| {{Composition bar|1|32|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| {{Composition bar|0|27|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| {{Composition bar|1|59|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
|-
|}

===District Council elections===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|-align=center
! Election
! Number of<br />popular votes
! % of<br />popular votes
!{{Abbr|D.E.|Directly elected}}
seats
!{{Abbr|E.C.|Electoral college of "Three Committees"}}
seats
!{{Abbr|App.|Appointed}}
seats
!{{Abbr|''Ex off.''|Ex officio}}
seats
! Total<br />elected seats
! +/−
|-
! [[1994 Hong Kong local elections|1994]]
| 50,755{{nochange}}
| 7.39{{nochange}}
|18
| rowspan="7" |
|
|1
| {{Composition bar|18|346|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 6{{increase}}
|-
! [[1999 Hong Kong local elections|1999]]
| 27,718{{decrease}}
| 3.42{{decrease}}
|15
|9
|2
| {{Composition bar|15|390|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 3{{decrease}}
|-
! [[2003 Hong Kong local elections|2003]]
| 29,108{{increase}}
| 2.77{{decrease}}
|12
|8
|2
| {{Composition bar|14|400|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 1{{increase}}
|-
! [[2007 Hong Kong local elections|2007]]
| 50,026{{increase}}
| 4.39{{increase}}
|14
|13
|2
| {{Composition bar|14|405|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 3{{decrease}}
|-
! [[2011 Hong Kong local elections|2011]]
| 23,408{{decrease}}
| 1.98{{decrease}}
|9
|4
|0
| {{Composition bar|9|412|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 3{{increase}}
|-
! [[2015 Hong Kong local elections|2015]]
| 25,157{{increase}}
| 1.74{{decrease}}
|9
| rowspan="2" |
|1
| {{Composition bar|9|431|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 1{{decrease}}
|-
! [[2019 Hong Kong local elections|2019]]
| 27,684{{increase}}
| 0.94{{decrease}}
|5
|0
| {{Composition bar|5|452|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 3{{decrease}}
|-
! [[2023 Hong Kong local elections|2023]]
| 19,574{{decrease}}
| 1.67{{increase}}
|3
|2
|3
|0
| {{Composition bar|8|470|hex={{party color|LPHK}}}}
| 3{{increase}}
|-
|}

==Leadership==

===Leaders===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! width=10px |No.
! width=180px |Leader<br /><small>(Birth–Death)</small>
! width=1px |Portrait
! width=180px|Constituency
! width=120px|Took office
! width=120px|Left office
! Duration
|-
|'''1''' || [[James Tien (politician)|James Tien]]<br />{{small|(born 1947)}} || [[File:James Tien cut.jpg|100px]] || [[New Territories East (constituency)|New Territories East]] || 21 May 2013 || 29 October 2014 || {{small|{{Age in years and days|2013|5|21|2014|10|29|duration=on|sep=and}}}}
|-
|'''2''' || [[Vincent Fang (entrepreneur)|Vincent Fang]]<br />{{small|(born 1943)}} || [[File:Vincent Fang 2015.jpg|100px]] || [[Wholesale and Retail (constituency)|Wholesale and Retail]] || 1 December 2014 || 7 October 2016 || {{small|{{Age in years and days|2014|12|1|2016|10|7|duration=on|sep=and}}}}
|-
|'''3''' || [[Felix Chung]]<br />{{small|(born 1963)}} || [[File:Felix Chung 2015.jpg|100px]] || [[Textiles and Garment (constituency)|Textiles and Garment]]<br/>{{small|(until [[2021 Hong Kong legislative election|2021]])}} || 7 October 2016 || 10 May 2022 || {{small|{{Age in years and days|2016|10|7|2022|5|10|duration=on|sep=and}}}}
|-
|'''4''' || [[Tommy Cheung]]<br />{{small|(born 1949)}} || [[File:Cheung Yu-yan in 2017 (cropped).jpg|100px]] || [[Catering (constituency)|Catering]] || 10 May 2022 || ''Incumbent'' || {{small|{{Age in years and days|2022|5|10|duration=on|sep=and}}}}
|}

===Chairpersons===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! width=10px |No.
! width=180px |Leader<br /><small>(Birth–Death)</small>
! width=1px |Portrait
! width=180px|Constituency
! width=120px|Took office
! width=120px|Left office
! Duration
|-
|'''1''' || [[Allen Lee]]<br />{{small|(born 1940)}} || [[File:Allen Lee at 71demo 2008.jpg|100px]] || Appointed<br />{{small|(1993–95)}}<br />[[New Territories North-east (constituency)|New Territories North-east]]<br />{{small|(1995–97)}} || 26 June 1993 || 5 December 1998 || {{small|{{Age in years and days|1993|6|26|1998|12|5|duration=on|sep=and}}}}
|-
|'''2''' || [[James Tien Pei-chun|James Tien]]<br />{{small|(born 1947)}} || [[File:James Tien cut.jpg|100px]] || [[Commercial (First)]]<br />{{small|(1998–2004)}}<br />[[New Territories East (constituency)|New Territories East]]<br />{{small|(2004–08)}} || 5 December 1998 || 8 September 2008<ref group="n" name="resigned"/> || {{small|{{Age in years and days|1998|12|5|2008|9|8|duration=on|sep=and}}}}
|-
|'''3''' || [[Miriam Lau]]<br />{{small|(born 1947)}} || [[File:Miriam Lau Kin Yee.jpg|100px]] || [[Transport (constituency)|Transport]] || 8 September 2008<ref group="n" name="resigned"/>  || 9 September 2012 || {{small|{{Age in years and days|2008|9|8|2012|9|9|duration=on|sep=and}}}}
|-
|'''–''' || [[Vincent Fang Kang|Vincent Fang]]<br />{{small|(born 1943)}}<br />''Acting'' || [[File:Vincent Fang 2015.jpg|100px]] || [[Wholesale and Retail (constituency)|Wholesale and Retail]] || 9 September 2012 || 15 December 2012 || {{small|{{Age in years and days|2012|9|9|2012|12|15|duration=on|sep=and}}}}
|-
|'''4''' || [[Selina Chow]]<br />{{small|(born 1945)}} || [[File:Selina Chow.jpg|100px]] || ''None'' || 15 December 2012 || 1 December 2014 || {{small|{{Age in years and days|2012|12|15|2014|12|1|duration=on|sep=and}}}}
|-
|'''5''' || [[Felix Chung]]<br />{{small|(born 1963)}} || [[File:Felix Chung 2015.jpg|100px]] || [[Textiles and Garment (constituency)|Textiles and Garment]] || 1 December 2014 || 7 October 2016 || {{small|{{Age in years and days|2014|12|1|2016|10|7|duration=on|sep=and}}}}
|-
|'''6''' || [[Tommy Cheung]]<br />{{small|(born 1949)}} || [[File:Cheung Yu-yan in 2017 (cropped).jpg|100px]] || [[Catering (constituency)|Catering]] || 7 October 2016 || 10 May 2022 || {{small|{{Age in years and days|2016|10|7|2022|5|10|duration=on|sep=and}}}}
|-
|'''7''' || [[Peter Shiu]]<br />{{small|(born 1970)}} || [[File:Shiu_Ka-fai_in_2019.png|100px]] || [[Wholesale and Retail (constituency)|Wholesale and Retail]] || 10 May 2022 || ''Incumbent'' || {{small|{{Age in years and days|2022|5|10|duration=on|sep=and}}}}
|}
{{Reflist| group="n"|refs =
<ref group="n" name="resigned">
Resigned, [[Miriam Lau]] served as acting chair between 8 September and 24 October 2008.
</ref>
}}

===Honorary chairpersons===
*[[James Tien (politician)|James Tien]], 2010–2012, 2014–2022 (resigned)
*[[Miriam Lau]], 2012–2022 (resigned)
*[[Selina Chow]], 2014–2022 (resigned)
*[[Vincent Fang (entrepreneur)|Vincent Fang]], 2016–2022

The title of honorary chairperson was abolished on 10 August 2022.

===Vice-chairpersons===
*[[Ronald Arculli]], 1993–2000
*[[Steven Poon]], 1996–1998
*[[Selina Chow]], 1998–2008, 2011–2012
*[[Miriam Lau]], 2000–2008
*[[Tommy Cheung]], 2008–2010
*[[Vincent Fang (entrepreneur)|Vincent Fang]], 2008–2014
*[[Felix Chung]], 2012–2014
*[[Peter Shiu]], 2014–2022
*[[Alan Hoo]], 2016–present
*[[Lee Chun-keung]], 2016–present
*Nicholas Chan, 2022–present

==Representatives==
===Executive Council===
* [[Tommy Cheung]]

===Legislative Council===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;"
|-
! Constituency !! Member
|-
| [[Transport (constituency)|Transport]] || [[Frankie Yick]]
|-
| [[Wholesale and Retail (constituency)|Wholesale and Retail]]|| [[Shiu Ka-fai]]
|-
| [[Catering (constituency)|Catering]]|| [[Tommy Cheung]]
|-
| [[Election Committee (constituency)|Election Committee]]|| [[Lee Chun-keung]]
|-
|-
|}

===District Councils===
The Liberal Party has won eight seats in five district councils (2024–2027):
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;"
|-
! District !! Constituency !! Member
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Central and Western District Council|Central & Western]]
|Central
| Karl Fung Kar-leung
|-
|Appointed
|Jeremy Young Chit-on
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Wan Chai District Council|Wan Chai]]
|District Committees
| Wind Lam Wai-man 
|-
|Appointed
|Chow Kam-wai
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Eastern District Council|Eastern]]
|Tai Pak
|Kenny Yuen Kin-chung
|-
|District Committees
|Tsang Cheuk-yi
|-
| rowspan="1" | [[Southern District Council|Southern]]
|Southern District Southeast
|Jonathan Leung Chun
|-
| rowspan="1" | [[Sai Kung District Council|Sai Kung]]
|Appointed
|Lam Chun-ka
|-
|}

==See also==
{{portal|Hong Kong|Conservatism}}
* [[United Front Work Department]]
* [[United Front (China)]]
* [[Co-operative Resources Centre]]
* [[Conservatism in Hong Kong]]
* [[Economic Synergy]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050305224412/http://www.liberal.org.hk/ Liberal Party] official site (Click 'English' in the top right-hand corner for the English version)

{{HK Liberal Party}}
{{Hong Kong political parties}}

[[Category:Liberal Party (Hong Kong)| ]]
[[Category:1993 establishments in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Centre-right parties in Asia]]
[[Category:Classical liberal parties]]
[[Category:Conservative parties in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Liberal conservative parties]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1993]]
[[Category:Political parties in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Socially conservative parties]]