Pro-democracy candidates make huge gains in Hong Kong elections
Video report by ITV News Senior International Correspondent John Irvine
Pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong won nearly half the seats in the local elections, as voters sent another clear signal in support of anti-government protests which have rocked the region.
A record 71 per cent of the Chinese territory's 4.1 million registered voters took part in the vote, well exceeding the 47 per cent turnout at the same election four years ago, election officials said.
Pro-democracy candidates have so far won 201 out of the 452 seats in 18 district councils from the partial returns.
Prior to Sunday's vote, pro-democracy groups had fewer than a third of the seats.
Among the winners include former student leaders and prominent figures associated with the protests against the Hong Kong leaders.
Rally organiser Jimmy Sham, who was beaten by hammer-wielding assailants last month, also triumphed, as did a pro-democracy lawmaker who had part of his ear bitten off by an assailant.
Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing political party suffered the biggest setback, with at least 155 of its 182 candidates defeated.
Among the losing incumbents was controversial politician Junius Ho, who was stabbed with a knife while campaigning this month.
The pro-democracy camp hailed its strong gains in the normally low-key race as a “victory” for the Hong Kong people.
Candidates said the city’s embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam must heed protesters’ demands including free elections for the city’s leader and legislature, and an independent probe into alleged police brutality.
“We won a small battle today but it shows that Hong Kong people have a chance to win the war. We will fight on,” said Henry Sin Ho-fai, a pro-democracy candidate who won.
The record turnout showed “a great groundswell in Hong Kong who believes in democracy”, said David Alton, a member of the British House of Lords who is among the international election observers invited by Hong Kong’s civil society groups.
During the months of demonstrations, protesters have smashed storefronts of businesses seen as sympathetic to China, torched toll booths, shut down a major tunnel and engaged in pitched battles with police, countering tear gas volleys and water cannon with torrents of petrol bombs.
More than 5,000 people have been arrested in the unrest that contributed to Hong Kong’s first recession in a decade.
Many people in Hong Kong share the concern of protesters about growing Chinese influence over the former British colony, which was returned to China in 1997.
The protests started in June over a now-abandoned extradition bill that would send criminal suspects for trials in mainland China. But the movement has since swelled into an anti-China campaign.
Voting was peaceful amid tight security, with hardly anyone seen wearing protesters’ trademark black clothing or face masks. Many voters turned up early to cast their ballots, leading to long lines that extended for blocks.
The vote is the only fully democratic one in Hong Kong. Members of the legislature are chosen partly by popular vote and partly by interest groups representing different sectors of society, and the city’s leader is picked by a 1,200-member body that is dominated by supporters of the central government in Beijing.