Hong Kong voters gave opposition pro-democracy parties a surprise success in elections for the territory’s legislature today, ensuring they retained their veto power and influence over political reforms.

Firebrand law-maker Emily Lau and maverick activist “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung were among politicians from the array of parties that compose the pan-democratic camp who helped to clinch 23 out of the 60 seats.

The democrats themselves had said they hoped to win 21 seats – a decline from the 25 they took in the last elections four years ago. Their success in losing only two seats came in the most fiercely fought contest since Hong Kong reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

Ms Lau was swift to show the democrats were determined to fight for faster and more far-reaching political reforms in the territory. She said: “Hong Kong has gone backwards on democracy, human rights and the rule of law. So now that I’m back in, I'm going to fight for these core values.”

The pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) remains the single largest party in the legislature, with 10 seats. However, it had been expected to take away more votes from the pan-Democrats with voters expected to be worried about the slowing economy and rising inflation rather than about democratic progress.

Underscoring the unexpectedly strong performance of the pan-Democrats was their win in 19 of the 30 directly elected geographical constituencies – adding one seat in the half of the legislature seen as popularly chosen. They won four seats in the “functional constituencies” – mostly commercial groups traditionally dominated by pro-Beijing forces.

The Democrats had feared that a failure to win 21 seats – the number needed for veto power – they would have been unable to stop any move by China to propose a watered down proposal on universal suffrage stacking electoral rules against the pro-democracy candidates.

Since Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty, the democrats have put pressure on Beijing’s Communist leaders to allow direct polls as promised in the city’s mini-constitution – the Basic Law. Beijing agreed last December to allow universal suffrage in 2017 at the earliest – a gesture that took much of the steam out of the pan-Democrats’ campaign and had been seen as threatening their attractiveness to voters in these elections.

Alan Leong, a member of the opposition Civic Party who won re-election, said: “Hong Kong still has aspirations for full democracy. Those in power can’t afford to ignore it.”

The pro-Beijing legislators recognised the challenge that pan-Democrats now pose. DAB legislator Lau Kong-wah, said: “Last time we had the edge of the system, but this time it goes to the democrats. It will be a challenge to us.”

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