Hong Kong | Historically low voter turnout in regional elections

in Hong Kong only about a quarter of those entitled to vote cast their votes in Sunday's regional elections. The administration of the region told about the record-low turnout. Opposition candidates were prevented from participating in the elections.

In Hong Kong, representatives were last elected to the district councils in the elections in 2019, when the city's everyday life was paced by massive demonstrations defending democracy. At that time, the turnout in the elections was a record high of 71 percent, and the democracy camp won a clear election victory.

However, the authorities have since sought to expel from public office anyone deemed politically disloyal following the protests. Disciplinary measures against dissidents have been triggered by China's security law enacted in the summer of 2020. China has tightened its grip on Hong Kong, which is its special administrative region, with a security law.

On Sunday, voting stretched into the middle of the night after an extraordinary 90-minute extension was granted due to a glitch in the digital system used to verify voter eligibility.

Administration the official website was updated on Monday with the final voting percentage, which remained at 27.5 despite the additional time. A little less than 1.2 million out of a total of approximately 4.3 million registered voters had gone to the polls.

The previous low under Chinese control was seen in the 1999 election, when the voter turnout was 35.8. The area passed from Britain to China in 1997.

Early on Monday, the Hong Kong Regional Director John Lee thanked more than a million voters who had gone to cast their vote.

On Sunday, Lee had described this year's election as the final piece of the puzzle to bring Hong Kong under “patriotic” control.

“From now on, district councils will no longer be what they were in the past,” Lee said as he cast his vote on Sunday.

He described the district councils as a platform for fighting the administration, promoting Hong Kong's independence and jeopardizing national security, among other things.

In May according to the announced new rules, the number of seats to be elected by direct elections was cut from 462 to 88.

Candidates were also required to apply for nominations from three committees appointed by the government. This requirement practically excluded all pro-democracy parties from the elections.

More than 70 percent of the candidates selected as candidates were themselves members of the nomination committees.

The police arrested at least six people on Sunday. The three were activists from the Union of Social Democrats, one of the city's last remaining opposition groups. The union was said to be planning to organize a demonstration.

The police first accused the trio of trying to incite others to disrupt the district council elections. The authorities have since referred the cases to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ICAC). They were suspected of inciting others not to vote.

The Union of Social Democrats called the arrest very ironic and ridiculous.