Hong Kong’s first ‘patriots-only’ district council election shows ‘real, functioning democracy’, Beijing and local authorities say despite record-low turnout

District council election logs record-low turnout of 27.54 per cent, but city leader John Lee lauds ‘high-quality’ poll

Beijing and its local offices offer congratulations to winning candidates, say vote important in implementing the principle of ‘patriots governing Hong Kong’

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Data shows that 1,193,193 people – or 27.54 per cent of registered electors – voted on Sunday. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 2:36pm, 11 Dec 2023Updated: 11:02pm, 11 Dec 2023

Voter turnout in Hong Kong’s first overhauled district council election on Sunday sank to a record low but both the city leader and Beijing lauded the process and outcome, with the central government praising it as a showcase of a “real, functioning democracy”.

The election winners should focus on improving the livelihoods and well-being of residents, Beijing’s top office overseeing Hong Kong and Macau affairs said in a statement setting out five expectations of the newly elected councillors.

The to-do list was centred on ensuring effective implementation of the “one country, two systems” governing principle, resolving conflicts and uniting society.

City leader John Lee Ka-chiu also lauded Sunday’s “patriots-only” election as a “high-quality one”, despite a computer glitch that caused the electronic poll register to malfunction, and prompted authorities to extend voting by 90 minutes, to midnight.

A visibly stern Lee overnight announced the setting up of a task force to look into the matter and submit a report in three months.