The Alliance for Change, a collection of pro-democracy parties, drew 3,000 to 4,000 people to its rally here.

A month later, she joined a coalition of pro-democracy parties.

Emily Lau, an official of the Frontier Council, the second-largest pro-democracy party here, said the government was not being decisive enough.

The largest pro-democracy party, the Democratic Party, was licking its wounds, apparently winning less of the popular vote than in 1998.

On one side of the split are the pro-democracy political parties, which have a lot of political savvy but few members.

The workers have attracted many supporters among student unions and pro-democracy parties in Hong Kong.

In the direct election, the pro-democracy parties gain one seat and receive 60 percent of the vote while the pro-government parties unexpectedly gain seven seats.

Virtually all winning candidates belong to, or are allied with, the United Democrats, a pro-democracy party.

The announcement came as Burma's pro-democracy party appeared poised to rejoin the country's political process.

At its formation, it was a coalition of three pro-democracy parties and three pressure groups.