Hong Kong faces low vote turnout after deadly fire
Turnout in Hong Kong’s “patriots only” legislative elections is expected to be low; Political campaigns have been subdued as the population reels from the city’s deadliest fire in decades, killing 159 people.
Volunteers temporarily handed out fliers and hung banners in front of subway stations and busy intersections on Friday, but they were largely ignored by residents.
Following last week’s fire, campaign activities were suspended for several days.
“This accident may of course affect election turnout… (Hong Kongers) have no interest or desire to elect people,” said 82-year-old retiree CK Lau.
The vote was seen by some analysts as a legitimacy test for the Hong Kong government, which is trying to calm public anger over the fire and monitor ongoing national security measures.
Locals said they were angered and traumatized after authorities admitted substandard building materials used during renovation work at a high-rise development in the northern Tai Po district were responsible for fueling the fire.
“Everyone’s mood is very heavy right now,” said May Li, 48.
“How can we still talk about holding elections under these conditions? It definitely needs to be postponed.”
The last Legislative Council elections in 2021 recorded the lowest voter turnout (30 percent) since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
On Thursday, Hong Kong’s national security office urged residents to “actively participate in the vote”, saying it was critical to support the government’s post-disaster reconstruction efforts.
Four people were arrested for encouraging others not to vote, the city’s anti-corruption body said on Thursday.
On November 20, three more people were arrested for the same crime.
National security officials have also repeatedly warned against attempts to “exploit” the fire to incite another “color revolution,” a reference to the 2019 pro-democracy protests that roiled the city.
Publicly inciting a voting boycott was made a crime in 2021 as part of sweeping election reforms that removed pro-democracy voices from the city’s 90-seat legislature.
Analysts say the reforms, which came after Beijing imposed a national security law on the city in 2020, ensured that only pro-Beijing candidates – “patriots” – could run, further narrowing the space for meaningful democratic participation by Hong Kong residents.
Pan-democratic voters, who traditionally make up about 60 percent of Hong Kong voters, have avoided elections since then.
The number of registered voters taking part in Sunday’s polls (4.13 million) also fell for the fourth consecutive month since 2021, when 4.47 million people were registered.
If the election is postponed, a gap period could occur, making it difficult to maintain a functional legislature.
