Hong Kong democrats score landslide victory in local elections amid record voter turnout

HONG KONG - Pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong romped to a landslide and symbolic majority in district council elections after residents turned out in record numbers on Sunday (Nov 24) 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 of the 452 district council seats for the first time, against a strongly resourced and mobilised pro-establishment opposition.

By 8am, pro-democracy candidates had secured a clear majority with 333 of 452 seats, compared with 52 for the pro-establishment camp, according to media estimates. Democrats only secured around 100 seats at the previous polls four years ago.

When the results began trickling in after midnight, including upset wins for democrats against heavyweight pro-Beijing opponents, some voting centres erupted in loud cheers and chants of “Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution Now” - a slogan used by many protesters on the streets over the past six months.

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 Mr 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 in a day that saw massive queues form outside many voting centres, began to trickle in after midnight.

Many people had clamoured to vote early, fearful that possible disruptions would lead to voting centres closing early.

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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. About 1.47 million voted in the last district elections four years ago.

"The performance of the pro-democracy camp will send a signal to Beijing," said Mr Andrew Li, a 22-year-old student who supported a pro-democracy candidate. "By ignoring people's demands, it wakes up all Hong Kong people to come out and vote."

The state-run China Daily newspaper said in an editorial on Monday the election “will hopefully have served as an opportunity to return the city to normal”. “The relative tranquility the city enjoyed since several days before the election suggests all stakeholders regarded it as an opportunity to air their views.”

FORMAL CONFRONTATION

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.

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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.

Mr 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.

"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 by men with hammers during a rally in October.

"It is a victory for the people of Hong Kong."

Other successful pro-democracy candidates included Mr Lester Shum, a former student leader of the umbrella movement in 2014, and Mr Kelvin Lam, who stood in after activist Joshua Wong was barred from running.

A number of pro-Beijing heavyweights including Mr Junius Ho, an incumbent injured in a knife attack this month, lost to a pro-democracy challenger. In a message on his Facebook page, Mr Ho said it had been an "exceptional year, an exceptional election, and an unusual result".

Some veteran pro-Beijing politicians, who have been shoo-ins in previous polls, attributed their losses to the broader discontent.

"Our loss is not because of our work in the local districts, it's because of the political sentiment," said Mr Horace Cheung, who noted he received 500 more votes this year than four years ago, but still lost.

CAMPUS STANDOFF

Casting her ballot, Hong Kong's chief executive Lam, who is backed by Beijing, pledged that 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," Mrs 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, posing the biggest popular challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.

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The protests have at times forced the closure of government, businesses and schools as police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon in response to petrol bombs and rocks.

The run-up to the election was marked by attacks on candidates, with Mr Ho stabbed and wounded, and another having part of his ear bitten off.

Sunday was also the seventh day of a stand-off at Polytechnic University, whose campus has been surrounded by police as some protesters hide out on the grounds.

"The government needs to know that if they don't answer our demands, we will continue demanding and the protests will not stop," said a 26-year-old pro-democracy voter who gave her name as Cda.