30 May 1952 1953 → 1,168 1,068 | Turnout 35.0% 17.83% 16.31% | |
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The 1952 Hong Kong Urban Council election was held on 30 May 1952 for the 2 elected seats of the Urban Council of Hong Kong. It was the first Urban Council election since the end of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. The last election was held in 1940. Barrister Brook Bernacchi of the Reform Club of Hong Kong and William Louey, chief manager of the Kowloon Motor Bus Company won the two seats.
Overview
It was the first Urban Council election after the Second World War. Prior to the election, the former Governor Sir Mark Aitchison Young suggested a further constitutional reform by a new elected Municipal body replacing the Urban Council. The Young Plan was strongly opposed by the conservatives and the then Governor Sir Alexander Grantham. At the end, the Governor restored the election for two seats in the Urban Council which had existed before the war after the Young Plan was shelved.
The polling station was held at the Murray Parade Ground. Some 3,368 men cast ballots, about one-thirds of the 9,700 registered electorates, lower than the expectation. The China Mail commented it as "scarcely be regarded as a convincing sign that the Colony is desperately anxious to enjoy extended franchise." Brook Bernacchi of the Reform Club of Hong Kong and William Louey of the Kowloon Residents' Association, chief manager of the Kowloon Motor Bus Company, were elected out of nine candidates. Pro-Communist barrister Percy Chen was one of the candidates. He urged voters to treat the election as a referendum to press London for a further constitutional reform promised by Young. He ranked sixth of the nine candidates by getting 461 votes. The other Reform Club candidate Woo Pak-chuen lost the race by only 38 votes.