These were the first elections held under the new rules introduced by China in response to the massive and violent 2019 pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong.
These regulations mandate that all candidates be vetted to verify their patriotism and political loyalty to China.
Furthermore, only 20 of the 90 seats in the Legislative Council (the “LegCo”) are directly elected.
Most of the posts, 40, will be selected by a committee of 1,500 Beijing loyalists.
The remaining 30 seats will be elected by pro-Beijing committees representing business and other organizations.
The polling stations closed at 9:30 p.m. local time, after being open for 14 hours. Then, only 29.3% of voters had gone to vote. In 2016, they were 52.6%.
It could be the lowest participation rate since the former British colony was handed over to China in 1997.
For the first time, polling stations were set up on the border with China so that mainland voters could cast their ballots.
When the ruler of the city, Carrie Lam, went to vote, three protesters from the League of Social Democrats chanted: “I want a genuine universal suffrage.”
“Lam said this improves the electoral system, but it actually deprives Hong Kongers of their right to vote,” activist Chan Po-Ying told reporters.
The government paid advertisements on the front pages of newspapers and outside billboards, sent flyers to homes and messages to mobile phones with calls to vote.
Starry Lee, chair of the largest pro-China party, DAB, urged people to participate.
“The response at the voting centers shows that there were not many people voting,” he told reporters.
A young accountant who identified herself as Loy said she does not plan to vote. “My vote does not mean anything because in the end it is the people of Beijing who win,” he told AFP.
In contrast, for Carrie Lam, low participation “means nothing.”
“When the government is doing things well and its credibility is high, voter participation is minimal because people do not really feel the need to elect new representatives,” he told state media last week.
Sunday’s election received open support from Beijing, which sees the new system as a way to eliminate “anti-China” elements and restore order with a legislature free from disruptive opponents.
But critics respond that authoritarian China has practically banned opposition parties in a city that boasted of the diversity of its electoral scene.
Dozens of opposition figures, including some who won legislative seats in previous elections, have been jailed, disqualified or have fled abroad.
Source From: Ambito
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