The 6th Legislative Council Was the Longest in Hong Kong's History

On July 1, 1998, one year after the handover of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council was established under the Hong Kong Basic Law. That same month, the first meeting of the Legislative Council was held. With the notable exception of the first Legislative Council, which lasted only two years, all subsequent legislative sessions have lasted four years.

However, the 6th Legislative Council, which should have lasted four years like all previous sessions, became the longest legislative session in Hong Kong’s history, lasting an exceptionally long five years and three months—from October 1, 2016, to December 31, 2021.

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, in November 2019, the PRC’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee extended the legislative session due to the postponement of the 2020 Legislative Council election. This postponement was announced by then-Chief Executive Carrie Lam on July 31, 2020, after a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the territory compelled her to invoke the Emergency Regulations Ordinance.

Eventually, the general election for the 7th Legislative Council was held on December 19, 2021.