Hong Kong pro-democracy camp set to win local elections - Nikkei Asian Review

HONG KONG -- Pro-democracy candidates won a majority of the seats in Hong Kong's District Council elections on Sunday, breaking the pro-Beijing camp's grip on local governance in the former British colony.

Some of the highest-profile candidates in the pro-establishment camp, including Legislative Council members and longtime district councilors, lost to challengers from the opposition on high turnout by younger voters -- a demographic tending toward greater sympathy for the pro-democracy movement.

Opposition candidates had claimed more than half of the 452 elected seats in the city's 18 districts as of 6 a.m. Local media estimate their seat total is likely to reach over 300 when all is said and done. Before the election, the pan-democrats held 118 seats, against 327 for the pro-Beijing camp and seven independents. Full results will be announced early Monday morning.

A record number of voters made their picks in Hong Kong's first elections since anti-government protests began in earnest this June. Ballots were cast by 2.94 million people, or 71.2% of registered voters. District Council elections are held every four years.

The early results show that young activists, closely involved in the anti-government protests, are gaining more support from the public.

Jimmy Sham -- convener at the Civil Human Rights Front, which organized protests by millions against the criminal extradition bill -- and former Umbrella Movement student leaders Tommy Cheung and Lester Shum all successfully beat pro-Beijing candidates.

"The social atmosphere has made this election a de facto referendum," Sham told public broadcaster RTHK. "It's a victory for Hong Kong people." He urged Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to respond to the protesters' five demands, including genuine universal suffrage to pick the chief executive.

Former HSBC economist Kelvin Lam, who ran after activist Joshua Wong was barred from becoming a candidate, beat pro-Beijing incumbent Judy Chan in Wong's district.

The city's largest pro-Beijing party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, suffered a big loss. More than 80% of its candidates failed to win. Even two of its vice chairmen, Horace Cheung and Holden Chow, went down in defeat.

Controversial politician Junius Ho, accused of triad ties, was unseated by Democratic Party hopeful Cary Lo Chun-yu. The results were "strange," Ho said, as he drew more votes than four years ago.

The results show that the protests maintain strong public support despite the recent rise in violence. Having a majority will give pro-democracy parties a bigger say in choosing the city's next chief executive and could help them win more seats in the city's legislature.

District councilors account for 117 seats on the 1,200-member election committee for the city's leader. The pro-democracy camp's majority means that it will claim all 117. Five of the 70 seats in the city's closely divided legislature are also reserved for district councilors.

The unrest had cast some doubt on whether Sunday's election would even be held. Hard-liners have vandalized transportation facilities as well as Beijing-friendly stores, and protesters and police have clashed almost daily.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Top stories - Google News
November 24, 2019 at 02:35PM
https://ift.tt/2XGfw7N

Hong Kong pro-democracy camp set to win local elections - Nikkei Asian Review
Top stories - Google News
https://ift.tt/2FLTecc
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

Bagikan Berita Ini