George Chow will represent the New Democrats in Vancouver-Langara in the May 2013 provincial election.

The former Vision Vancouver councillor is set to be acclaimed as the B.C. NDP candidate on September 30. No one else is vying for the nomination.

“That does mean that we could concentrate on working on the election next year,” Chow told the Straight in a phone interview.

The incumbent B.C. Liberal MLA in that constituency, Moira Stilwell, is running for a second term.

Chow, who is of Chinese descent, is hoping for a breakthrough in the B.C. Liberal stronghold, where 45 percent of the total population of 55,905 is of Chinese ancestry, according to the 2006 census.

There were 38,142 registered voters in Vancouver-Langara during the 2009 election. Stilwell won 59 percent of the votes cast in that contest, versus the 35 percent garnered by the B.C. NDP candidate, Helesia Luke.

Former Vancouver park board chair Anita Romaniuk ran for the New Democrats in 2005 but lost to B.C. Liberal star candidate Carole Taylor. Now treasurer of the B.C. NDP constituency association in Vancouver-Langara, Romaniuk told the Straight by phone: “We’re glad to have George as our candidate.”