Updated December 18, 2018

Che Kung Temple in the village of Ho Chung, Hong Kong. Photo credit: Wikimedia

At Stake
Approximately 1,400 village representative slots throughout the New Territories. Some seats are powerful because they represent villages of interest to developers and officials looking to expand supply to meet Hong Kong’s growing housing demand.

Political Context
Historically, the rural representative system had a reputation for facilitating corruption and deals with developers, but for these elections, some Hong Kong democracy activists are looking to run in the elections and push for reforms.

The New Territories comprise 86 percent of Hong Kong’s land and half of its population.