HONG KONG: Hong Kong voters trickled into polling stations on Sunday to choose new lawmakers under Beijing’s “patriots only” rules, with some urging candidates to help with government relief efforts after the city’s deadliest fire in decades.
Beijing revamped Hong Kong’s electoral system in 2021 following the city’s huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests, and the first contest under those rules later that year saw a record low turnout of 30 percent.
Initial figures showed on Sunday that while fewer people had cast their ballots, the turnout percentage was marginally higher due to a smaller overall voter population.
Just shy of one million out of 4.1 million registered voters cast ballots during daytime hours, according to the Registration and Electoral Office.
Political campaigning was interrupted in late November after a blaze tore through the housing blocks of Wang Fuk Court in northern Hong Kong, killing at least 159 people.
A woman surnamed Poon, whose home went up in flames, said the fire must be “thoroughly investigated”, adding that the next batch of lawmakers “should monitor the government”.
“Whoever is at fault must be held responsible,” Poon told AFP outside the polling station closest to the charred buildings.
Kitty Lau, a woman in her 60s who witnessed the fire from her home, said she was still grieving, adding that the government needed to listen to diverse voices in the tragedy’s aftermath.
“Some of the voices from opposition factions, as long as they love the country and love Hong Kong, should be given an opportunity to speak,” Lau told AFP.
At the start of the day, Hong Kong leader John Lee again urged the public to head to the polls.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.