The result of Hong Kong's local elections was a record turnout, and a near-total sweep of seats by pro-democracy politicians
WHEN THE “silent majority” found its voice, it did not use it as the authorities hoped. The Hong Kong government of Carrie Lam, the chief executive, had hoped that a populace cowed into silence by six months of increasingly violent unrest would use local elections on November 24th to show their exasperation with anti-government protesters. Instead, they delivered a stunning victory to campaigners for democracy, who support the demonstrators’ aims.
The turnout was unprecedented. Nearly 3m voters—71.2% of those registered—participated. At the last district-level election, in November 2015, 47% of the 3.1m people eligible to vote did so. Overall, pro-government candidates still won some 40% of the popular vote. District councils advise the government on a wide range of issues, especially matters relating to public services such as managing traffic lights, parks, libraries and rubbish collection. Elections to them are freely contested, without the Byzantine arrangements that skew the outcomes of Legco elections in favour of pro-government candidates. Each council is composed of directly elected members voted for by local residents as well as a small number of appointees from other political bodies.
In Tuen Mun, a suburb close to the border with mainland China, Junius Ho, a pro-establishment lawyer and Legco member who is detested by protesters, lost to Lo Chun-yu, a member of the Democratic Party, one of the oldest and biggest of the opposition groups. After the result Mr Ho described the result as having turned “heaven and earth upside down”.
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