<figure id="attachment_3229715" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3229715" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3229715" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/71643f61-hong-kong-election-afp-08_12_25.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3229715" class="wp-caption-text">Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai (2nd left) helps empty the first ballot box after polls closed in the Legislative Council elections in Hong Kong, China, on Dec 7. (AFP pic)</figcaption></figure>
HONG KONG: Hong Kong&#8217;s legislative election on Sunday drew the second-lowest turnout rate on record, with voters choosing candidates under Beijing&#8217;s &#8220;patriots only&#8221; rules in the aftermath of the city&#8217;s deadliest fire in decades.
Beijing revamped Hong Kong&#8217;s electoral system in 2021 following the city&#8217;s huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests, and the first contest under those rules later that year saw a record low turnout of 30.2 percent.
This time, the figure was 31.9 percent, according to figures published online early Monday by the Registration and Electoral Office.
Sunday&#8217;s race actually saw slightly fewer people casting their ballots &#8212; just 1.3 million out of 4.1 million registered voters &#8212; but the turnout percentage was higher due to a smaller overall voting population.
Authorities were set to declare winners overnight at the city&#8217;s Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Elections for Hong Kong&#8217;s legislature used to involve boisterous clashes between pro-Beijing and pro-democracy camps, with the latter often winning around 60 percent of the popular vote.
But Beijing overhauled Hong Kong&#8217;s electoral system in 2021 to ensure only &#8220;patriots&#8221; could hold office, and slashed the number of directly elected seats to 20 out of 90.
Sunday&#8217;s race featured 161 government-vetted candidates, and was once again devoid of the two largest pro-democracy parties: the Civic Party disbanded in 2023 and the Democratic Party, which is winding down.
Around a third of the outgoing cohort of lawmakers, including veterans such as Regina Ip and legislature president Andrew Leung, are not seeking another four-year term.
Memorial for fire victims cleared 
Political campaigning was interrupted in late November after a blaze tore through the housing blocks of Wang Fuk Court in northern Hong Kong, killing at least 159 people.
At a small park nearby that became a makeshift memorial site, volunteers and government-arranged cleaners on Sunday night removed thousands of flower bouquets and notes of remembrance that had accumulated since the deadly blaze.
Police earlier warned that the scene had parallels to the 2019 pro-democracy protests, underscoring the heightened political sensitivities of collective mourning.
A police officer at the scene told AFP that an operation was being held to &#8220;return (the park) to normal&#8221;.
Held responsible
One woman whose home was destroyed said Sunday the fire must be &#8220;thoroughly investigated&#8221;, adding that the next batch of lawmakers &#8220;should monitor the government&#8221;.
&#8220;Whoever is at fault must be held responsible,&#8221; the woman, who only gave her surname Poon, told AFP outside the polling station closest to the charred buildings.
Kitty Lau, a woman in her 60s who witnessed the fire from her home, said she was still grieving, adding that the government needed to listen to diverse voices in the tragedy&#8217;s aftermath.
&#8220;Some of the voices from opposition factions, as long as they love the country and love Hong Kong, should be given an opportunity to speak,&#8221; Lau told AFP.
At the start of the day, Hong Kong leader John Lee urged residents to head to the polls.
&#8220;(Your) vote represents a vote that pushes forward reform, and a vote to protect those affected by the disaster,&#8221; Lee told reporters after casting his ballot.
As of Sunday, Hong Kong&#8217;s anti-corruption watchdog had arrested 11 people for telling others not to vote or to cast invalid ballots.

MatchPoint Times

Another low turnout for HK legislative election

The first contest in 2021 under the ‘Patriots Only’ rule also saw a record low turnout of 30.2 percent, while this time the figure was 31.9 percent.

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