Hong Kong Sees Record Low Voter Turnout In District Elections

Voter turnout in Hong Kong's district council elections held on Sunday fell to a record low of 27.54%, official data showed.

A total of 4.3 million voters were eligible to cast their ballots for 88 directly elected seats in the election, which saw a significant drop from 71.2% in the 2019 elections amid anti-government protests.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee congratulated the winners, saying it was the first large-scale territory-wide election held after improving the district governance system and reforming the district councils, enabling them "to return to their positioning as district advisory and service organizations in accordance with Article 97 of the Basic Law and fully implementing the principle of 'patriots administering Hong Kong'."

The city-state amended its electoral laws after the passage of a controversial 2020 national security law, reducing the number of directly elected candidates in the legislature.

Besides the directly elected district council seats, the chief executive will choose 179 others, local committees will decide another 176, and rural leaders will hold the remaining 27 seats.

Lee said the newly elected district council members "come from different backgrounds, sectors, strata and professions, which will bring more comprehensive and diverse perspectives to district work and better meet the interests of citizens."

"I hope that the seventh-term DCs, after assuming office on Jan. 1, 2024, will focus on district affairs and grasp the sentiments of the community. This will enable the government to better keep tabs on the districts, facilitate the planning and promotion of district services that better meet the needs of citizens, and improve governance at the district level, enabling us all to build a better community and maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong together," he added.

In Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed confidence that the new district councilors will fulfill their duties in accordance with the law.​​​​​​​ -