Democracy in Hong Kong
Photograph of officials opening a ballot box in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. Photo courtesy of Reuters.
On 24 Nov., Hong Kong held elections for its District Council. A coalition of pro-democracy parties dealt a blow to the pro-Beijing government by taking over 76 per cent of council seats.
The election also saw an unprecedented 71 per cent turnout, according to official data.
The election happened in the wake of the ongoing Hong Kong democracy protests. The protests started in June over the introduction of a Hong Kong-Chinese extradition bill, which many pro-democracy activists say would have allowed for political dissidents to be unlawfully imprisoned in mainland China, as reported the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Even though the extradition bill has been discarded, democratic protests continue to sweep the city. Although the protestors do not necessarily have united demands, many have called for the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and for that position to be subject to direct elections (the Chief Executive is appointed by a Hong Kongese Election Committee, which many see of being a rubber stamp of the Chinese Communist Party).
Before the election, Ms Lam invoked her colonial-era emergency powers to ban the use of masks in the protests. However, the Hong Kongese High Court struck down the move saying that the regulation infringed on fundamental rights, as reported by CNBC.
After the result's announcement, Ms Lam said that she would promise to keep an 'open mind' and 'seriously reflect' on her government's policies.
The election was largely seen as a referendum on Ms Lam's administration, a test which she most surely failed.
The Hong Kong District Councillors have little logistical powers, as they mostly deal with smaller local issues. The most significant power that they do have is to select 117 of the Council's members to sit on the Election Committee, who selects the Chief Executive candidate before they are approved by the Beijing government, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.
The pro-Beijing parties hoped that a 'silent majority' would defeat the pro-democracy coalition. However, no such pro-Beijing majority materialised.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated to press in Tokyo, '"Any attempts to disrupt Hong Kong or undermine its stability and prosperity will not succeed'. Although the Chinese government made no formal response to the election result, this warning reaffirms the government's commitment to keeping Hong Kong in its sphere of influence, was reported by The Guardian.
This year, 386,000 new voters registered for local elections and every seat on the Council was contested (in the last election 15 per cent of seats were uncontested), according to The Economist. This change in election strategy shows how invigorated pro-democracy parties have become in recent months.
Despite the election result, the Hong Kong protests are still ongoing, and Ms Lam has shown no signs that she wishes to leave her office. Only time can tell how this situation will end.
Sources:
"Voter Turnout Rate". 2019 District Council Election, Government of Hong Kong, 27 Nov. 2019,
https://www.elections.gov.hk/dc2019/eng/turnout.html
"Hong Kong elections: Carrie Lam promises 'open mind' after election rout". BBC News, British Broadcasting Corporation, 25 Nov. 2019,
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50541627
"Hong Kong police clash with protesters, as high court rules mask ban unconstitutional". CNBC, NBC Universal, 18 Nov. 2019,
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/17/hong-kong-police-threaten-to-use-live-bullets-on-protesters.html
Grahm-Harrison, Emma. "China issues warning over Hong Kong after election blow". The Guardian, Guardian Media Group, 25 Nov. 2019,
"Voters in Hong Kong deliver a powerful snub to Beijing". The Economist, The Economist Group, 25 Nov. 2019,
https://www.economist.com/china/2019/11/25/voters-in-hong-kong-deliver-a-powerful-snub-to-beijing