One of Hong Kong's major pro-democracy parties has decided to disband amid growing pressure from Beijing.

The Civic Party made the decision after its members took a vote on Saturday.

Party Chairman Alan Leong said it would be difficult for the party to continue, as there are no valid nominations for executive committee members or a new chairman.

The Civic Party was founded in 2006 by lawyers, scholars and others. It has called for electoral seats to be directly chosen by citizens.

Support for the party grew in 2019, in the wake of a series of anti-government protests.

The party won 32 seats in the 2019 district council elections. That was the second largest number among the pro-democracy parties.

But the following year, Beijing implemented a national security law and tightened its control over pro-democracy activists. Civic Party lawmakers were stripped of their qualifications or arrested and indicted.

Beijing also revamped Hong Kong's electoral system. The changes made it difficult for pro-democracy candidates to run. The Civic Party could not field candidates in the 2021 Legislative Council election.