Hong Kong’s 2023 district council election
Residents headed to the polls on Sunday for the first district-level vote since Beijing overhauled the electoral system to ensure only “patriots” could govern.
Beijing made the changes after a landslide victory by the opposition in 2019. The overhaul slashed the number of directly elected seats and reshaped the geographical constituencies.
The government called the overhaul necessary to “depoliticise” the municipal-level bodies, which were accused of putting politics above community work.
Authorities launched an all-out campaign to encourage voting, which observers said showed concerns over possible low voter turnout.
The revamped system consists of four types of seats, with only those in the geographical constituencies being directly elected.
Candidates for the district committee constituencies will be elected by members of three local bodies packed with pro-establishment figures. The chief executive will also appoint members. Chairs of rural committees will hold the fourth type of seat.
The number of directly elected candidates has shrunk dramatically since the 2019 election.
The district election turnout rate has been rising since 2007, hitting a high in 2019 amid anti-government protests. After a record low showing for the 2021 Legislative Council election, which had been revamped under the “patriots-only” rule, observers widely expected the rate to drop this year.
The number of young adults registering to vote has dropped by half compared with last year, according to official data, which commentators have linked to political apathy and emigration.
Associate Creative Director Marcelo Duhalde
Edited by Kieran Cash,
Jeffie Lam and James Wilkinson
Sources: Registration and Electoral Office, Electoral Affairs Commission
