**’Patriots-Only’ System’s Second Election…Authorities Seek to Control Public Sentiment After Fire Disaster**
Following a tragic apartment fire that resulted in at least 159 deaths, the voter turnout in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council election was slightly higher than the ‘historic low’ of 2021.
On December 8th, according to the Hong Kong Electoral Affairs Commission, 1,317,682 voters from the Hong Kong district cast their votes, resulting in a final turnout rate of 31.9%. This is a 1.7 percentage point increase from the 30.2% turnout in the 2021 Legislative Council election, which was held right after the Chinese central government reformed Hong Kong’s electoral system to include a ‘patriots-only’ candidate condition.
However, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that the actual number of voters who cast their ballots decreased by 33,000 compared to 2021, attributed to a decrease of 340,000 (7.6%) in registered voters since 2021.
In the New Territories Northeast constituency, which includes Tai Po where the ‘Wong Fuk Court’ fire disaster occurred, the final turnout was 30.15%, making it the only one of the ten constituencies not to surpass 31%.
The Hong Kong Legislative Council election turnout rate, which had been above 50% with 53.05% in 2012 and 58.28% in 2016, has significantly declined since the implementation of the ‘patriots-only’ system in 2021. Traditionally, roughly 60% of Hong Kong voters have supported the pro-democracy camp, but it is assessed that their interest in elections has waned after the system reform.
In December 2023, the district council election turnout was 27.5%, the lowest for any election held in Hong Kong, highlighting a noticeable decline in voter participation among Hong Kong residents.
The Legislative Council election held 11 days after the ‘Wong Fuk Court’ fire disaster on November 26 elected 90 new council seats. Twenty seats were directly elected by residents from ten constituencies, 40 seats by an election committee dominated by pro-China factions, and the remaining 30 seats through functional constituency indirect elections.
Among the total 161 candidates, not a single one was categorized as having an ‘opposition’ stance. Earlier this year in February, the Democratic Party, the main opposition party, decided to disband, and in June, the Social Democratic Alliance (LSD), the last remaining opposition party, also ceased to exist. Consequently, there is no official pro-democracy force left in Hong Kong. Amidst this situation, 35 sitting lawmakers, comprising 40% of currently serving legislators known for advocating moderate voices, did not run, and ‘newcomers’ filled their spots.
Amid concerns over declining voter participation and the devastating fire disaster, Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have classified the criticism as stemming from ‘anti-China, anti-government’ factions and cracked down on them aggressively.
The Hong Kong government attempted to boost voter turnout by extending voting hours, adding polling stations, encouraging voting leave, and offering store discounts. Eleven people were arrested for encouraging others online not to participate or to cast invalid votes, and on December 6th, foreign media were warned against ‘false and distorted reporting’ regarding the fire disaster as part of efforts to control the situation.