![]() ![]() “I earnestly urge all of you to seize this final opportunity, mobilize your entire family, and encourage your neighbors and friends to rush to the polling stations to vote,” she wrote. Regina Ip, a pro-Beijing lawmaker of the New People’s Party, said on Facebook following the extension announcement that her party’s candidates were “in an extremely critical situation.” The electoral commission insisted the extension wasn’t linked to the low turnout, but candidates had used the opportunity to make their last appeals to voters. Two hours before the elections were supposed to end, the Hong Kong government announced an “electronic poll register system failure” and extended voting by 90 minutes until midnight. Campaigners held up emergency signs and issued “urgent appeals” on social media, calling on supporters to come out. The turnout brings into question the legitimacy of the new system.”īy late Sunday afternoon, it became apparent that the turnout was going to be dismal. “The unprecedented campaign to turn out the vote in the elections suggests that some authorities sought to use citizen participation in the polls as an endorsement of Hong Kong’s new patriots-only political system,” Burns said. In the weeks leading up to the election, posters and billboards were plastered across the city to encourage residents to vote “for a better community.” Pro-Beijing candidates and their assistants stood next to early morning traffic, greeting commuters on their way to work.Īnd in a final push to mobilize voters the day before the polls, the government offered an outdoor concert, carnivals, drone performances and free museum visits as part of the “District Council Election Fun Day.” Sunday’s low turnout came despite concerted efforts by Hong Kong government to boost voter numbers. Seventy percent of voters chose not to do so,” he said. The elections are “little more than an opportunity for citizens to show support for the government. Many citizens may view participation in the new arrangements as useless or a waste of time,” he said. ![]() “Many citizens may view these elections as unfair or illegitimate, because authorities have chased out, intimidated, disqualified, shut down or jailed opposition leaders and parties. John Burns, emeritus professor at the University of Hong Kong, said many voters on Sunday were discouraged by the lack of political diversity in the ballot as they were essentially asked to endorse candidates chosen for them by the government.Īnd just as with the Legislative Council elections, authorities’ efforts to mobilize them mostly fell on deaf ears. The Hong Kong government insists the law has ended chaos and “restored stability” to the city. The following year, Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the semi-autonomous city, which critics say has been used to stifle political opposition and freedoms. The electoral overhaul is part of broader efforts by China’s ruling Communist Party to remold Hong Kong following the mass protests in 2019. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |