| Prime Minister of Hong Kong
總理 Júngléih | |
|---|---|
 Flag of Hong Kong | |
 Lau Siu-lai since July 12, 2023 | |
| Prime Minister's Office | |
| Style | His Excellency 閣下 (Gokhah) |
| Residence | Governor's House |
| Appointer | Governor-General |
| Term length | No term limits specified |
| Inaugural holder | Martin Lee |
| Formation | July 1, 1997 |
The prime minister of Hong Kong is the leader of the federal government and is also accountable to the parliament under the principles of responsible government. The incumbent prime minister is Lau Siu-lai, who took office in April 2023 as leader of the Democracy Groundwork.
The office of the prime minister is governed by Westminster system convention as it is described in the Hong Kong constitution. To become prime minister, a politician of the Parliament of Hong Kong must be able to command the confidence of the chamber. As such, the prime minister is typically the leader of the majority party or coalition. Prime ministers do not have a set duration or number of terms, but an individual's term generally ends when their political party loses a federal election, or they lose or relinquish the leadership of their party.
Ten people have served as prime minister, the first of whom was Martin Lee taking office on July 1 1997 following the British relinquish of authority over the nation. The longest-serving prime minister was Tam Yiu-chung, who served for 6 years, and the short-serving was Alvin Yeung, who served only twenty days. There is no legislative line of succession, however constitution states that a new prime minister will be elected during an emergency session of the parliament with the senior most member of the former prime minister's party serving in a caretaker role until one is elected.
List of Prime Ministers[]
| No. | Prime Minister | Took office | Left office | Party | Elections | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Martin Lee
(1938) |
July 1, 1997 | December 2, 2002 | Democratic Party | 1996 1999 |
| 2 | 
|
Yeung Sum
(1947) |
December 2, 2002 | December 12, 2004 | 2003 | |
| 3 | 
|
Lee Wing-tat
(1955) |
December 12, 2004 | December 17, 2006 | 2005 (Special Election) | |
| 4 | 
|
Albert Ho
(1951) |
December 17, 2006 | December 2, 2007 | 2006 (Special Election) | |
| 5 | 
|
Tam Yiu-chung
(1949) |
December 2, 2007 | December 17, 2013 | Betterment and Progress Party | 2007 2011 |
| 6 | 
|
Benny Tai
(1964) |
December 17, 2013 | December 12, 2015 | Democratic Party | 2013 (Special Election) |
| 7 | 
|
Starry Lee
(1974) |
December 12, 2015 | December 1, 2019 | Betterment and Progress Party | 2015 |
| 8 | 
|
Alan Leong
(1958) |
December 1, 2019 | April 2, 2023 | Civic Party | 2019 |
| 9 | 
|
Alvin Yeung
(1981) |
April 2, 2023 | April 21, 2023 | 2023 (Special Election) | |
| 10 | 
|
Nathan Law
(1993) |
April 21, 2023 | July 12, 2023 | Demosisto | 2023 (Snap Election) |
| 11 |
|
Lau Siu-lai
(1976) |
July 12, 2023 | Current | Democracy Groundwork | 2023 |