Leong told Sing Tao Headline, The Standard’s sister publication, that the party has not received any nominations for the next executive committee as of the deadline set at 12pm today - 14 days ahead of an annual meeting to elect those interested in taking up the executive committee posts.

He said the current executive committee members will make their transition to a caretaker executive committee after a general meeting to be held in January next year, which the committee will then call for an extraordinary meeting to dissolve the party.

The party currently has seven executive committee members, including Leong, vice chairman for internal affairs Bill Lay Yan-pau, and secretary general Jessica Leung Ka-sin, with none of the seven wanting to stay for another term, Leong said earlier.

He also said previously that no members had reached out to him to express an interest in taking up executive committee posts, adding it was “not to his surprise.”

Leong said he expected the extraordinary meeting will be held after the Lunar New Year at the earliest, with the decision to dissolve the party requiring the acknowledgment of at least 75 percent of its members present at the meeting.

Leong founded the Civic Party in 2006 with senior counsels Audrey Eu Yuet-mee and Ronny Tong Ka-wah, along with barristers Tanya Chan Suk-chong and Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee.

Party members did not participate in the "patriots-only" legislature that took office in January after China's National People's Congress authorized an overhaul of the SAR's electoral system.

The overhaul allowed a candidate eligibility review committee - top officials of the administration - to vet candidates for the Legislative Council, with the number of seats increasing from 70 to 90.

Tong, who quit the Civic Party in 2015, said it was "unfortunate" and "lamentable" the party may have to disband.

He also did not agree there was no room for opposition parties to breathe in the current political atmosphere.

Ex-Civic Party legislators Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, Jeremy Tam Man-ho, and Kwok Ka-ki are currently in custody.

They appeared before a three-judge panel at the High Court last month after they had pleaded guilty along with 26 others for their roles in an alleged conspiracy to commit subversion.

Ex-Civic Party member and district councilor Lee Yue-shun, who pleaded not guilty in the national security case, quit the party along with the trio after they were accused of subversion for participating in primary elections last year.

Party co-founder Tanya Chan moved to Taiwan last year after she quit the party in 2020.