Election officials unlock the first ballot box after polls closed in the Legislative Council elections in Hong Kong on December 19, 2021. — AFP pic
HONG KONG, Dec 20 — Pro-Beijing candidates swept to victory in an overhauled “patriots”-only legislative election in Hong Kong that was deemed regressive by critics, with turnout hitting a record low amid a crackdown on the city’s freedoms by China.
The turnout of 30.2 per cent, was almost half that of the previous legislative poll in 2016, with the latest results showing almost all of the seats being taken by pro-Beijing and pro-establishment candidates.
Some of these candidates cheered on stage at the central vote counting centre and chanted “guaranteed win”.
Starry Lee, the head of the pro-Beijing The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) party, dismissed criticism that her party lacked a public mandate, and stressed the electoral revamp to ensure only “patriots” administer the city would improve governance.
“I do not believe this (the low turnout) is directly related to citizens not agreeing with this electoral system. I believe it needs some time for people to get adapted to this system,” she told reporters at the vote counting center.
Most of the dozen or so candidates who called themselves moderates, including former democratic lawmaker Frederick Fung, failed to gain a seat, succumbing to pro-Beijing rivals.
“I only say that the situation in the present day, it’s not easy to push people. I think they are feeling indifferent in the present situation,” he told Reuters.
The previous record low for a legislative election held after the city’s return from British to Chinese rule was 43.6 per cent in 2000. Results for some seats are still pending.
The election — in which only candidates screened by the government as “patriots” could run — has been criticised by some activists, foreign governments and rights groups as regressive, while mainstream pro-democracy parties are not participating.
Turnout is a central issue, as observers consider it a barometer of legitimacy in an election where pro-democracy candidates are largely absent, and a crackdown under a China-imposed national security law has jailed scores of democrats who had originally wanted to run, and forced others into exile.
Under the electoral shake-up, the proportion of directly elected seats was reduced from around half to less than a quarter, or 20 seats.
Forty seats were selected by a committee stacked with Beijing loyalists, while the remaining 30 were filled by professional and business sectors such as finance and engineering, known as functional constituencies.
While some observers say the low turnout could undermine the new legislature’s legitimacy, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said in a statement that the 1.3 million or so ballots cast were a “show of support for the improved electoral system.” — Reuters