Voting has ended in Hong Kong with a massive turnout in an election seen as a barometer of public support for anti-Beijing protests that have rocked the Chinese territory since June, SIA reports referring to AFP.
The Electoral Affairs Commission did not immediately provide the final turnout rate but earlier it said that 69 percent of the city's 4.1 million registered voters had cast ballots. That sharply exceeded the 47 percent turnout in the same election four years ago.The government said nearly a third of the record 4.13 million citizens registered to vote had cast their ballots within five hours of polls opening, more than double the rate seen over the same timeframe during the last election in 2015.
Referendum on Beijing
The selection of 452 councillors handling community-level concerns like bus routes and garbage collection traditionally generates little excitement but has taken on new significance following months of political unrest.Hong Kong has been buffeted by mass rallies and violent clashes pitting police against protesters who are agitating for direct popular elections of the semi-autonomous Chinese territory's government, as well as a probe into alleged police brutality.The vote is the closest that Hong Kongers get to direct representation.
By contrast, the legislature is elected by a mix of popular vote and industry groups stacked with China loyalists, which ensures Beijing's control of the city of around 7.3 million.The pro-democracy camp is calling Sunday's vote a referendum on Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the pro-Beijing government, which have resisted the movement's demands.But the polls are not entirely symbolic: some candidates for next year's legislative elections will be drawn from district councillors, and the councils also will contribute 117 members to the 1,200-strong Beijing-controlled electoral college that chooses the chief executive.
Bütün xəbərlər Facebook səhifəmizdə
.png)
USD
EUR
GBP
RUB