Hong Kong’s “patriots-only” District Council election, the first held under an overhauled system that slashed democratic representation, has seen a record-low poor turnout despite the voting hours being extended to midnight due to a technical glitch.
Around 1.19 million eligible electors cast ballots in Hong Kong on Sunday, marking a 27.5 per cent voter turnout – a significant drop from 71.2 per cent recorded during the last District Council election held in 2019 amid the extradition bill protests.
The figure marks the lowest turnout among all post-colonial elections held in Hong Kong.
The local elections were overhauled in May to ensure only “patriots” were elected, following a pro-democracy landslide in 2019. The number of seats chosen democratically by the public was slashed to around 20 per cent, with the rest chosen by the city’s leader and government-appointed committees. Constituency boundaries were redrawn, the opposition were shut out, and each local council is to be chaired by a government official, similar to colonial-era arrangements. All candidates underwent national security vetting to ensure patriotism, whilst traditional democrats remained behind bars or in self-exile.
Justice David Lok, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC), said on Sunday that it was not appropriate to directly compare this year’s turnout rate with that of 2019. The composition, voter base and voting system was different, he said.
Sunday’s polls, which were set to close at 10.30 pm, were extended to midnight after the EAC announced in the evening that the Electronic Poll Register system had failed and all polling stations had to issue ballots using printed-forms.
Six arrests
A total of six arrests were made on election day over alleged calls to cast invalid ballots and suspected acts to interfere with the polls.
Three members of pro-democracy group League of Social Democrats (LSD) were apprehended in Central on Sunday ahead of a planned protest outside a polling station in the affluent neighbourhood of Mid-Levels, where Chief Executive John Lee was slated to cast his vote.
They included LSD’s chairwoman Chan Po-ying and vice-chairs Dickson Chow and Yu Wai-pan.
Police told HKFP that three individuals aged 31 to 67 were arrested for allegedly inciting others to intervene in the District Council elections.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said on Sunday that it arrested three people – without disclosing their names – who were intercepted by the police in Central on suspicion of inciting others to boycott the District Council election.
The alleged act may breach the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance by calling on others not to vote or to cast an invalid vote in the election, ICAC said.
Activist Raphael Wong told the media on Sunday evening that ICAC officers went to the police station to take statements from the LSD trio. It would be right to assume the three individuals mentioned in the ICAC’s statement were Chan, Chau and Yu, he said.
All three were to remain in ICAC custody on Sunday night to have their statements taken, Wong said.
Ex-councillor wanted
The anti-graft watchdog also arrested a 41-year-old government employee and her husband on suspicion of inciting others to cast invalid votes by commenting on a social media post which urged voters to put three or more ticks on their ballot papers.
Another 51-year-old woman, a clerk, was arrested by the ICAC for allegedly calling on others to write their names and identity card numbers on the ballot papers, which would render the votes invalid.
The arrested woman was said to have shared an online post by former Sham Shui Po district councillor Leos Lee who had left Hong Kong. The ICAC said it would apply for an arrest warrant for Lee.
Lee, who was among more than 380 pro-democracy candidates elected in the 2019 District Council election, lost his seat in 2021 after he failed to attend an oath-taking ceremony in September that year to swear allegiance to the city.
Inciting others to boycott or to cast invalid votes in an election is a criminal offence in Hong Kong that is punishable by up to three years of imprisonment and a HK$200,000 fine. However, it is legal to cast a protest ballot or boycott elections.
Over 10,000 police officers deployed
Police deployed more than 10,000 officers to ensure the election could be held in a safe and orderly manner, Secretary for Security Chris Tang told the press on Sunday after casting his ballot at a polling station in Ho Man Tin.
Several hundred personnel from various disciplined forces acted as “special constables” on election day, the minister said, while more than 1,000 officers from the Auxiliary Police, Civic Aid Service and Auxiliary Medical Service were also deployed.
“If there was anyone engaging in acts that were unfavourable to. or hinder our election, we would take action immediately,” Tang said in Cantonese.
Activist charged with sedition
A 77-year-old man was charged with “attempting to do or making any preparation to do an act or acts with seditious intention” on Sunday and is set to be brought to court on Monday morning. Local media reported that the man was veteran activist Koo Sze-yiu, who was arrested on Friday.
Local activist Lui Yuk-lin, who is close to Koo, told HKFP on Friday that the elderly activist had planned to stage a protest at the Registration and Electoral Office in Cheung Sha Wan.
Koo – who is terminally ill – intended to demonstrate against what he saw as an “unfair race” in the District Council election, citing the lack of pro-democracy candidates in this year’s election, Lui said.
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