Voters out in force at council election in Hong Kong

GIVEN A chance to vote, the people of Hong Kong did just that.

Long lines snaked around plazas and extended for blocks as citizens of the semi-autonomous Chinese territory turned out in droves on Sunday for an election seen as a test of public support for anti-government protests that have persisted for more than five months.

The Electoral Affairs Commission said 31 per cent of the city’s 4.1 million registered voters cast ballots in the first five hours, up from 14.5 per cent in the same period four years ago.

Christina Li said that it was important for older people like herself to support the youth, who are at the forefront of the protests.

“Younger generations might not be able to enjoy the rights that we are enjoying now,” she said as she waited in line to go inside a polling station. “We cannot take it for granted.”

The race for 452 seats in the city’s 18 district councils has taken on symbolic importance. A strong showing by the opposition would show the public still supports the pro-democracy movement, even as the protests have become increasingly violent.

The vote for the district councils, which advise the government on issues of local concern, are the only fully democratic elections in Hong Kong.

Members of the legislature are chosen partly by popular vote and partly by interest groups representing different sectors of society, and the city’s leader is picked by a 1,200-member body that is dominated by supporters of the central government in Beijing.

The ruling camp in Hong Kong and the government in Beijing hope the unrest and disruption to daily life will turn voters against the protesters.