Hong Kong pro-democracy candidates destroyed their opponents in last night’s elections, winning 80% of seats of the contested district council seats.
Pro-democracy candidates won big in Hong Kong’s district council elections on Sunday, with voters turning out in record numbers to signal support for the anti-government movement gripping the city.
As of 6 a.m. Monday, local time, the pro-democracy candidates had cinched 300 out of 452 seats, compared to 41 seats for the pro-Beijing side, according to local media estimates cited by Reuters.
Nearly three million out of 4.1 million registered voters in the Chinese territory cast their ballots.
“This is the power of democracy. This is a democratic tsunami,” said Tommy Cheung, a former student protest leader who won a seat in the Yuen Long district close to China’s border.
Candidates cheered their landslide wins — and called on embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam to heed protesters’ demands. Those include free elections for the city’s leader and legislature and an independent probe into alleged police brutality during the nearly six months-long riots.
“I hope that … the election will show that everyone doesn’t want Hong Kong to return to chaos again, that we want a way out of this crisis so that we can have a fresh start,” Lam said.
Some voting centers broke out into loud cheers of “Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution Now,” a protest slogan.
The history-making 71 percent turnout was the highest since 1997, when the district council elections were established following the handover from British rule.
The district council elections are the closest Hong Kong residents get to direct representation.
Legislators are picked partly by popular votes and partly by interest groups representing different sectors of society. The city’s chief executive is chosen by a 1,200-member body packed with supporters of the Chinese central government.
If you want even more, here’s a report from Fox Business this morning: