The leaders of Hong Kong's Democratic Party have announced plans to dissolve what was once the city's largest opposition group. Members will soon vote on the final decision on whether to shut down the 31-year-old party,

A 30-year-old Hong Kong political party that used to lead the city's pro-democracy camp before Beijing cracked down on dissent will start preparations to shut down, its leader said Feb. 20. "We are going to proceed and study on the process and procedure that is needed for the disbanding," said Lo Kin-hei, chairman of Hong Kong's Democratic Party.

Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy party took an initial step toward dissolving on Thursday. Hong Kong’s Democratic Party’s chairperson Lo Kin-hei said in a news conference that the party's central committee decided to set up a task force to look into the procedures involved.

Hong Kong's Democratic Party said late on Thursday it would start preparations to disband and wind up its affairs after a meeting of its leadership, amid a years-long national security crackdown in the China-ruled city.