The recent "patriots only" district election held in Hong Kong, which excluded opposition democrats due to national security concerns, witnessed a historically low voter turnout of 27.5%. This decline in participation, compared to the 2019 election, reflects the widespread perception of the undemocratic nature of the poll.
The diminished turnout follows Beijing's imposition of a comprehensive national security law to suppress dissent and a restructuring of the electoral system to exclude democrats and liberal voices. This election, which significantly reduced directly elected seats and implemented national security background checks for all candidates, faced disruptions due to an unprecedented electronic poll register system failure, leading to an extension of polling times.
The tight security measures, with over ten thousand police deployed, resulted in at least six arrests for alleged offenses related to online posts and disruptions during the polls. Pro-democracy groups, including moderates and some pro-Beijing figures, were unable to meet the new nomination thresholds.
The "League of Social Democrats," critical of what they deemed a "birdcage election," faced arrests just before a planned protest. Despite criticism from some Western governments about Hong Kong's authoritarian shift, local officials, including leader John Lee, defended the election's legitimacy, citing the need for stability in the region. The 2019 election was characterized as undermining governance and national security, justifying the recent changes in the electoral process.
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