[6] That abruptly halted the momentum of the pro-democrats who campaigned for a "35+" majority, building from the historic 2019 anti-government protests and the pro-democracy landslide in the November District Council election.

[17][18] The delay was seen as a blow to the pro-democrats who aimed to achieve a "35+" majority by riding the 2019 District Council landslide on a wave of massive anti-government protests and concerns about the new national security law enacted by Beijing on Hong Kong.

On 10 August 2020, the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force raided the offices of Next Digital, the parent company of prominent pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily.

[30] On 26 June, the Neo Democrats, affiliated with detained former legislator Gary Fan, announced its disbandment, citing the political environment after the implementation of the national security law.

[31] On 24 June, Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was forced to shut down after the police detained the chief editor and five other executives and froze the company-linked assets on the basis of the paper having breached the city's new national security law.

[35] It was followed by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China (HKASPDMC) in September after its HK$2.2 million assets was frozen and the group was charged with inciting subversion and being "an agent of foreign forces "under the national security law.

The League of Social Democrats (LSD) announced on 1 June 2021 that it would boycott the election after leader Raphael Wong accused the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of "intending to wipe out dissidents", which came following the arrests of both its vice-chairmen Leung Kwok-hung and Jimmy Sham under the national security law and the conviction of secretary Avery Ng over an unauthorised assembly.

The Democratic Party was split with former legislator Fred Li voicing support for participating in the election, while the majority advocated for not fielding candidates.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) issued a warning against Hui, stating that inciting others to cast blank votes violated the newly passed election laws.

[62] On 29 November, the court issued warrants for Hui and former District Councillor Yau Man-chun, who made Facebook posts asking people to boycott the "fake election" after resettling in the UK.

[64] Four more persons, including former president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Student Union Jacky So Tsun-fung, were arrested on 15 December for reposting Hui's online posts that called on voters.

[71] Secretary for Security Chris Tang called a Law a "coward" and "traitor" and a "runaway anti-China and anti-Hong Kong element", slamming him for his planned presence at U.S. President Joe Biden's upcoming Summit for Democracy on 10 December.

[78] Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Xia Baolong reportedly traveled to Shenzhen in late October 2021 to orchestrate and coordinate candidate lists for the pro-Beijing camp.

Chairman and executive director of Bocom International Tan Yueheng who fielded his candidacy for the Election Committee constituency did not disclose his political affiliation, although it is shown on the China Merchants Bank and other websites that he is a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

Hoey Simon Lee, who also ran in the Election Committee constituency, is the chief strategy officer of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area at the China Resources Group.

Yau Wai-kwong, candidate for the newly established Commercial (Third) functional constituency, is the director and general manager of China Overseas Property.

Tam received one nomination came from Hong Kong deputy to the NPC Maggie Chan and former chairman of the Federation of Public Housing Estates Wong Kwan.

Fong secured a nomination from Reverend Peter Koon of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui and All-China Youth Federation committee member Sharon Tam.

[98] Sai Kung District Council vice chairman Daryl Choi became the third pro-democracy candidate to have secured sufficient nominations to run in the election when he stood in New Territories South East.

[99] The fourth pro-democrat, Tsuen Wan District Councillor Lau Cheuk-yu entered the election when he secured enough nominations to stand in New Territories South West.

[118] Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang dismissed the doubt that the arrangement might not comply with the election law which states that only those who "ordinarily resides in Hong Kong" are eligible to vote, claiming that a number of other factors should also be considered.

[118] Political scientist and pundit Ivan Choy said the proposal was a way to boost the turnout but doubted its effectiveness as it would be "quite demanding" for electors to take hours-long trips from their home provinces and cities to cast a ballot at the border checkpoints.

Choy also observed that the appearance of the competitiveness of which no constituency was left uncontested was a deliberate outcome of Beijing's coordination, in which the other candidate would not win but merely act as window dressing.

"[142] A Bloomberg editorial slammed the election as "stage-managed" in which the Chinese authoritarian regime sought to confer legitimacy by proclaiming a democratic mandate.

It pointed out that the election was a mechanism for co-opting new pro-Beijing interest groups into the power structure, and on the other hand diluting the influence of traditional elites perceived as insufficiently loyal during the protests.

It also compared Hong Kong's elections to the one-party rules in Vietnam and Laos rather than a controlled democracy such as Singapore where a sizable contingent opposition was allowed.

[123] As none of the non-establishment candidates entered the Legislative Council through directly-elected constituencies, analysts believed both the pro-democracy camp and the "centrist" (or moderate) faction are no longer represented in Hong Kong institutions.

[145] Yeung Yuk, who supported Frederick Fung in the campaign and angered some pro-democracy activists, resigned as the acting chairperson of the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, citing his wish to focus on local issues.