Hong Kong voters handed a stunning landslide victory to the pro-democracy opposition in the city's local elections, and a clear rebuke to Chief Executive Carrie Lam over her handling of violent protests that have divided the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
Wu Chi-wai, leader of the city’s biggest pro-democracy party, said the bloc swept nearly 90 per cent of 452 district council seats, which will help it take unprecedented control of 17 out of 18 district councils. The results were based on official tallies announced by election officials.
The result of Sunday’s elections could force the central government in Beijing to rethink how to handle the unrest, which is now in its sixth month. The district councils have little power, but the vote became a referendum on public support for the protests.
“It’s nothing short of a revolution,” said Willy Lam, a political expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “It’s a sound repudiation of the Carrie Lam administration and shows the silent majority are behind the demands of the protesters.”
The pro-democracy camp hailed its astounding gains as a victory for the people and said Ms Lam and Beijing must now seriously heed protesters’ demands, which include free elections for the city’s leader and legislature as well as an investigation into alleged police brutality.
“We are only vehicles used to reflect the people’s concerns,” said Mr Wu.
Beijing, which blames foreign powers for fomenting the unrest in Hong Kong, has showed no signs that it may soften its stance on the former British colony, which was returned to China in 1997.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters during a visit to Tokyo on Monday that Hong Kong will always be part of China, no matter the poll outcome.
“Any attempts to destroy Hong Kong or harm Hong Kong’s stability and development cannot possibly succeed,” he said.
But the election outcome will add new pressure on Ms Lam. Some pro-establishment candidates have already pointed fingers at her for their loss, while the pro-democracy camp said she should quit.
In a statement on Monday, Ms Lam pledged to reflect on the election result that indicated “people’s dissatisfaction with the current situation and the deep-seated problems in society”.
A record 71 per cent of Hong Kong’s 4.1 million registered voters cast ballots in the city’s only fully democratic elections, well exceeding the 47 per cent turnout in the same poll four years ago.
The largest pro-establishment political party suffered the biggest setback, with only 21 of its 182 candidates winning. Its chairwoman, Starry Lee, said the government must review its response to the crisis and do more to heal the divisions in society.
Many pro-Beijing political heavyweights were trounced, including controversial politician Junius Ho, who is reviled by protesters for supporting a bloody mob attack on demonstrators in July. Mr Ho was stabbed with a knife during campaigning this month.
The winners included many youth activists and a candidate who replaced activist Joshua Wong, the only person barred from running in the election. Protest rally organiser Jimmy Sham, who was beaten by hammer-wielding assailants last month, also triumphed, as did a pro-democracy politician who had part of his ear bitten off by an assailant.
Celebrations broke out outside polling stations overnight when results were announced. At lunchtime Monday, dozens of supporters held a victory rally in a business district.
“This is historic. As our city plummets from being semi-autonomous to semi-authoritarian, we react by showing what’s democracy in action,” Mr Wong tweeted.
The victory will see the pro-democracy camp secure 117 seats in the 1,200-member pro-Beijing panel that elects the city’s leader. It will bolster their influence, as the bloc usually has more than 300 supporters on the panel but still falls short of the majority.
More than 5,000 people have been arrested in the unrest that has contributed to Hong Kong’s first recession in a decade.
Supporters from both sides of the divide hope the election will pave a peaceful way out after months of pitched battles between protesters and police, capped by a university siege this month.
“With the mandate from the Hong Kong people, protesters expect concessions from Beijing, but those concessions won’t be coming. Confrontations may intensify,” said Mr Lam, the political analyst.
The turmoil started in June over a now-abandoned extradition bill that many viewed as a sign of creeping Chinese control over Hong Kong, but protesters have since expanded their demands.
