Pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong have romped to a landslide and symbolic majority in district council elections after residents turned out in record numbers to vote following six months of anti-government protests in the embattled city.
In a rare weekend lull in the unrest that has embroiled the financial hub, democratic candidates across the city of 7.4 million secured more than half the 452 district council seats for the first time against a strongly resourced and mobilised pro-establishment opposition.
Hong Kong’s district councils control some spending and decide a range of local livelihood issues such as transport and they also serve as an important grassroots platform to radiate political influence in the city ruled by communist China.
Some winning candidates said the result was akin to a vote of support for the protest movement and could raise the pressure on Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing chief executive, Carrie Lam, amid the city’s worst political crisis in decades.
“This is the power of democracy. This is a democratic tsunami,” said Tommy Cheung, a former student protest leader who won a seat in the Yuen Long district close to China’s border.
Initial results from the voting, which ended with no major disruptions, began to trickle in after midnight on Sunday.
As of 5am (8am AEDT), pro-democracy candidates had secured a majority with at least 283 seats compared with about 32 seats for the pro-establishment camp, according to local media estimates.
A record 1104 candidates were vying for 452 seats.
Electoral affairs chief Barnabus Fung said at least 2.94 million people voted, a record turnout of more than 71 per cent that appeared to have been spurred by the turmoil.
Demonstrators are angry at what they see as Chinese meddling in the freedoms promised to the former British colony when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. They say they are also responding to perceived police brutality.
China denies interfering and says it is committed to the “one country, two systems” formula for the autonomy of Hong Kong. Police say they have shown restraint in the face of potentially deadly attacks.
Jimmy Sham, a candidate for the Civil Human Rights Front, which organised some of the anti-government rallies, won his electoral contest and said the turnout should be a sign to the government that it should listen to their voices.
With just half of the 452 constituencies across #HongKong having announced their results, Stand News reports that the pro-democracy camp has obtained a landslide 197 seats compared to the pro-Beijing camp’s 24.
The pro-democracy camp only won just over 100 seats in 2015. pic.twitter.com/2EUa7d1UvE
— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) November 24, 2019
“This election is special because it is a formal confrontation between pro-establishment and pro-democracy parties after months of unrest caused by the misstep of government,” he said, standing on crutches weeks after he was beaten during a rally in October.
“It is a victory for the people of Hong Kong.”
Other successful pro-democracy candidates included Lester Shum, a former student leader of the umbrella movement in 2014, and Kelvin Lam, who stood in after activist Joshua Wong was barred from running.
A number of pro-Beijing heavyweights including Junius Ho, an incumbent injured in a knife attack earlier in November, lost to a pro-democracy challenger.
Casting her ballot, Hong Kong’s chief executive Lam, who is backed by Beijing, pledged her government would listen more intensively to the views of district councils.
“I hope this kind of stability and calm is not only for today’s election but to show that everyone does not want Hong Kong to fall into a chaotic situation again,” Mr Lam said.
The protests started over a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial but rapidly evolved into calls for full democracy.
Sunday was also the seventh day of a standoff at Polytechnic University, whose campus has been surrounded by police as some protesters hid out on the grounds.
-AAP
The post Hong Kong democrats score big local elections win appeared first on The New Daily.
**Business and Marketing support on best price; Hit the link now----> http://bit.ly/2HsQmSi