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Hong Kong district council election

The was an all-out promotion blitz for the December 10 election. Photo: Elson LI

First Hong Kong district poll after overhaul cost taxpayers HK$1.2 billion

With record-low election turnout of 27.59 per cent, government spent an average of HK$102 on publicity for each vote in December 10 poll.

With record-low election turnout of 27.59 per cent, government spent an average of HK$102 on publicity for each vote in December 10 poll
Sum was about 90 per cent more than HK$635 million spent on 2019 election

17 Apr 2024 - 10:27AMvideocam

Opinion | Hong Kong is ready to have one person, one vote for chief executive

3 Apr 2024 - 10:27AMvideocam

All 470 Hong Kong district councillors appointed to 3 neighbourhood committees

2 Apr 2024 - 9:08AMvideocam

Many Hong Kong district councillors struggling to secure offices as deadline looms

Some councillors point to high rental prices as biggest challenge, especially in constituencies located in commercial districts or private housing estates.

25 Mar 2024 - 10:05PM

A poster for the 2023 district council election. Each councillor gets HK$49,512 a month for operational fees and a one-off subsidy of HK$120,000 to open an office. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Xia urges Hong Kong district councillors to act as bridge for public, officials

Xia Baolong, director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, also joined city leader John Lee for dim sum breakfast to discuss municipal-level administration.

24 Feb 2024 - 11:51PM

Hong Kong district councillors juggle demands of serving enlarged wards

Subsidies don’t stretch far enough to cover rents, assistants’ pay and other expenses, councillors say.

24 Mar 2024 - 10:50PM

Overloaded server caused system crash during Hong Kong’s district council poll

Electoral Affairs Commission also reveals that more than 2,000 voters not included in turnout rate, but says final results not affected.

26 Jan 2024 - 10:00PM

A ballot box is emptied at a polling station in San Po Kong early on December 11 last year. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong woman given suspended jail term for call to invalidate election ballots

Yeung Sze-wing, 51, sentenced to two months in jail but term is suspended for two years owing to guilty plea and ‘other mitigating factors’.

22 Jan 2024 - 9:54PM

Hong Kong printed 1.5 million posters, leaflets for district council election

Authorities offer breakdown of promotion drive for first ‘patriots-only’ district council poll last month, which drew record-low turnout, but stop short of revealing total price tag.

20 Jan 2024 - 10:44PMvideocam

Then & Now | Cow or bull dung, one’s garden will still grow. Maybe elections are the same

It makes no difference whether one uses cow or bull dung on the plants in one’s garden – it will still grow. Perhaps the same applies to Hong Kong District Council election candidates.

15 Jan 2024 - 7:45AMvideocam

A Hong Kong government poster promotes the recent District Council elections. Photo: Elson Li

Can proposed district fairs in Hong Kong convince people to spend?

Only two of 18 district councils are proposing events with local flair and experts warn weak desire to spend and overlapping schedules may cause parties to fizzle out.

5 Jan 2024 - 2:09PMvideocam

The Temple Street night market has recently been overhauled in a bid to lure more people. Photo: Elson Li

District council seeks community version of ‘Night Vibes Hong Kong’ campaign

Planned ‘Night Vibes Tsim Sha Tsui’ campaign involves street performances, lighting decorations and activities to boost consumption.

3 Jan 2024 - 2:57PM

Hong Kong district councillors must back city’s own national security law: Lee

470 councillors swear oath of allegiance under supervision of home affairs chief Alice Mak.

1 Jan 2024 - 7:11PM

Last days of Hong Kong’s opposition district councillors

30 Dec 2023 - 11:50AM

09:54

Letters | Fight polarisation over Gaza war with fact-based views

Readers discuss what individuals and the UN can do to foster peace in Gaza, the litter left in the wake of the district council election, and the rewards of reading.

24 Dec 2023 - 11:30AM

Israeli soldiers walk past damaged buildings during a military operation in the north of the Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas on December 19. This photo was taken during a controlled tour and subsequently edited under the supervision of the Israeli military. Photo: AFP

Letters | Social media mockery will only drive Hong Kong to do better

Readers discuss the taunts calling Hong Kong a ‘relic’ of a financial hub, what the new district councillors must do, and why AI literacy must be taught in schools.

23 Dec 2023 - 11:30AM

Opinion | District councils must re-engage Hongkongers and reverse the disconnect

A record low voter turnout reflects a disconnect. For social reforms to succeed, communities must be engaged – the new district councils must make this their top task

19 Dec 2023 - 9:30AMvideocam

Hong Kong’s incoming district councillors ‘must attend 80% of meetings each year’

Home affair chief Alice Mak discusses new requirement after two closed-door briefings, weeks before new district councillors take office on January 1.

19 Dec 2023 - 3:29AMvideocam

The new guidelines are part of a Legco-approved shake-up of the municipal bodies from earlier this year. Photo: Sam Tsang

President Xi Jinping praises Hong Kong leader over national security, district poll

President Xi Jinping also urged John Lee’s administration to unite society and boost the city’s development by seizing ‘historic opportunities’.

19 Dec 2023 - 5:07AM

Opinion | Hong Kong’s first ‘depoliticised’ district polls raise more questions than answers

Tough questions must be asked about the election’s record low voter turnout and how defanged political parties can play a more ‘constructive’ role in an overhauled system

18 Dec 2023 - 9:30AMvideocam

Opinion | Hong Kong district council elections: why weak middle class turnout is troubling

The expanded constituencies mean candidates need to cover a large population, with those with deep connections to public housing estates having an advantage. Candidates relying on middle-class support to win district council seats have been left disappointed.

17 Dec 2023 - 9:30AMvideocam

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu (second right) looks on as Electoral Affairs Commission members empty a ballot box in the counting station for the district council election at Queen’s College in Causeway Bay on December 11. Photo: Dickson Lee

My Take | Election apathy is inevitable when voters are denied a free choice

Voters at last Sunday’s “patriots-only” poll had to choose between pro-establishment contenders. Many regarded this as no choice at all.

16 Dec 2023 - 10:30PM

Chief Executive John Lee and other officials open a ballot box after Hong Kong’s district council election was held the previous day. Photo: Kyodo

Letters | Hongkongers have good reasons to vote, despite the compromises

Post readers discuss the purpose of voting in Hong Kong elections, the reasons behind the BJP’s success in India, and how local libraries can engage the elderly.

15 Dec 2023 - 11:30AM

Editorial | Hong Kong council appointees must show worth

Described as ‘high-calibre patriots’ by Hong Kong’s leader, it remains to be seen whether they will improve district bodies.

13 Dec 2023 - 6:30AM

179 ‘patriots’ appointed to Hong Kong district councils; dozens lost in 2019 race

Forty-nine appointees, or 27 per cent, ran in the previous municipal-body election in 2019 and lost.

13 Dec 2023 - 9:29AMvideocam

At least 19 government appointees, nearly 11 per cent of the total, are incumbent district councillors. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong’s new district councils will be more ‘constructive’: John Lee

Chief Executive John Lee urges residents to focus on election outcome and defends voting rate as a ‘good turnout’, despite hitting record low.

12 Dec 2023 - 6:51PMvideocam

Voters at a polling station in Sheung Shui. Sunday’s district council election was the first since an overhaul to align the municipal-level bodies with Beijing’s principle that only “patriots” should be in charge. Photo: Elson LI

Letters | US-China cooperation vital for stability in Southeast Asia and beyond

Readers discuss the positive momentum in bilateral relations following the Xi-Biden summit, protection against the winter flu season, district council election turnout and taxi drivers’ woes.

12 Dec 2023 - 11:30AM

Hong Kong district council election: can the ‘patriotic’ winners deliver?

Councillors’ performance will affect people’s confidence in electoral system overhauled at the behest of the central government, observers say.

12 Dec 2023 - 8:30AMvideocam

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Hong Kong district council election

Hong Kong’s district council election was held on November 24, 2019. The opposition bloc won 392 out of 452 seats, while their pro-establishment rivals took the remaining 60.