Hong Kong: An abysmally low voter turnout below 30% in Hong Kong’s first district council elections since China clamped new rules to shut out all pro-democracy candidates marked a record slump since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Official data says 27.5% of the city’s 4.3 million registered voters cast ballots in Sunday’s polls — posting less than the record 71.2% voters in the last elections held during anti-government protests in 2019.
The pro-democracy group won those polls in a landslide victory, in opposition to the government’s handling of the protests. Indications are that Beijing loyalists are expected to take control of the district councils after Sunday’s elections.
The district councils, which primarily conduct municipal matters, were picked up by the public. The new electoral rules under Beijing insist that only ‘patriots’ should administer the city. New rule stipulates that candidates must secure endorsements from at least nine members of government-appointed committees comprising Beijing loyalists. Under this scenario, it is impossible for any pro-democracy candidates to continue.
A July amendment slashed the proportion of directly elected seats from about 90% to about 20%. Due to Beijing’s harsh crackdown, many prominent pro-democracy activists have either been held or have fled. According to critics, a low voter turnout reflects the public sentiment toward the ‘patriots’-only system and is a thumbs down to the government’s crackdown on dissent.
The previous record low for participation in the council elections since the handover to Chinese rule was 35.8% in 1999. The electoral changes further narrowed political freedoms in the city, following a separate overhaul for the legislature in 2021. Following those changes,
The turnout in the last legislative election two years ago plunged to 30% from 58% in 2016. Hong Kong leader John Lee on Sunday said the council elections were the “last piece of the puzzle” in implementing the principle of ‘patriots’ administering the city.
Despite the government officials undermining the turnout, the factor is expected to keep China anxious.