香港的立法機關在一九八五年舉行第一次選舉,其中包括以功能團體選舉方式選出的十二名議員。所謂功能團體是根據香港各行各業的社會功能細分為許多不同的功能團體界別,選民則分為團體選民及個人選民兩種。香港政府當年設立功能團體選舉的目的,表面上是讓一些重要的行業在立法局均擁有出席代表,但功能界別的甄選及議席的分配明顯地偏重工商專業界人士,並且蘊含著壓抑香港政黨政治發展的作用。因此,這一種精英式選舉在主權轉移後仍維持不變。去年十二月舉行的第二次特區立法會選舉,功能團體議席共三十席,選舉制度主要是採用單一選區相對多數決制。自由黨是一個由工商專業界人士組成的政黨,雖然在第一、第二屆立法會直選中未能取得任何席位,但在功能團體選舉所獲得的席次居各黨之冠,因此成為本屆立法會的第三大黨。
Of those elected to the First Legislative Council of Hong Kong in 1985, twelve were chosen according to the votes of functional constituencies. Such constituencies were classified according to the social functions of various trades in Hong Kong, and each elector was either an individual or a constituency voter. The introduction of functional constituencies by the Hong Kong government was aimed at enabling important trades to have representation on the Legislative Council. The classification and seat allocation of the functional constituencies, however, gave obvious preference to industrialists, businessmen, and professionals, thus playing an implicit role in suppressing the development of party politics in Hong Kong. This elite-styled election method has remained since Hong Kong became a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. During the Second Legislative Council election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) last December, a total of thirty legislators were elected by the functional constituencies in accordance with the plurality with single-member-district system. The Liberal Party is a political party composed of industrialists, businessmen, and professionals. Although not winning any directly elected seats in the past two legislative elections, the party captured more functional constituency seats than any other political party and became the third largest political party in the HKSAR Second Legislative Council.