Hong Kong Holds District Council Elections

Voters headed to polling stations as Hong Kong's district council election began on Sunday.

Some 4.33 million registered voters can cast their votes at more than 600 polling stations from 8.30 a.m. (0030 GMT) to 10.30 p.m. to decide 88 of 470 seats in the new councils.

The city has amended its electoral laws for its legislature, reducing the number of directly elected candidates.

Besides the directly elected district council seats, the city's leader will appoint 179 councilors, and 2,532 members of district committees will decide another 176. Rural committee chairs will hold 27 ex officio seats.

The electoral overhaul followed the passage of a controversial national security law in 2020.

"During the voting process, we felt it was fast, and smooth, I also saw other residents voting at the polling station and our polling station colleagues were also very professional and passionate," Chief Executive John Lee told reporters after casting his vote.

Authorities have encouraged people to vote, launching an intensive advertising campaign, organizing a weekend outdoor concert and providing HK$20,000 (US$2,560) in subsidies to individual centers for the elderly to help cover the cost of transporting residents to polling stations.

But critics said the absence of opposition candidates and difficulty in understanding the changes to the election process could lower the turnout rate.

David Lok, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission, said he was confident the elections would be conducted in an open and fair manner, and that the polling and counting of votes would be smooth and completed within a reasonable time.

Hong Kong, the former British colony, was returned to China in 1997. -