Hong Kong district council election: can the ‘patriotic’ winners deliver on Beijing’s expectations and be an effective bridge between government and people?
- Councillors’ performance will affect people’s confidence in an electoral system overhauled at the behest of the central government, observers say
- Beijing’s top office overseeing Hong Kong affairs has laid down five expectations for those elected
They warned that their performance in the 18 district councils starting next year would not only shape the internal dynamics of the pro-Beijing camp, but also affect people’s confidence in an electoral system overhauled at the behest of the central government.
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Polls open in Hong Kong’s new ‘patriots-only’ district council election
Sunday’s poll registered the lowest turnout by a sizeable margin since Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule in 1997, with the previous low standing at 35.8 per cent in 1999. The figure in the last poll held at the height of anti-government protests in 2019 was 71.2 per cent.
Winning councillors needed to put more effort into implementing the “one country, two systems” governing principle, resolve conflicts, do practical things for residents, unite society and fulfil their duties, according to the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office.
The office stipulated that the revamped 18 district councils should actively advise and help the administration by “listening to people’s voices”, “resolving people’s concerns”, and “become a link between the government and the grass-roots people”.
