Hong Kong's First Legislative Election After Electoral Reform... Midterm Voter Turnout Hits Record Low

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] The Legislative Council (LegCo) election in Hong Kong, held for the first time since China completely overhauled the Hong Kong electoral system under the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong," is expected to record the lowest voter turnout in history.

According to foreign media, as of 3:30 p.m. local time on the 19th, with voting having started at 8:30 a.m., the mid-day turnout rate stands at a record low of 18.77%. With no candidates fielded from the pro-democracy camp, the key point of interest in this election is not the winners but the voter turnout.

Centered around pro-democracy activists who fled overseas, there is a boycott of voting and a blank ballot campaign protesting the electoral system reform. Amid the opposition's absence and the lack of competition, attention is focused on how high the turnout will be in this election marked by public indifference.

Some speculate that, just as the Macau Legislative Assembly election held last September recorded the lowest turnout ever after 21 pro-democracy politicians were disqualified from running, this Hong Kong LegCo election will also see low voter turnout.

Since Hong Kong was handed over from the United Kingdom to China in 1997, the lowest voter turnout in LegCo elections was 43.6% in 2000.

Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥), Chief Executive of Hong Kong, voted early in the morning and said, "We have not set a target for voter turnout," but appealed, "I ask everyone to participate in voting."

Near where Lam voted, some members of the opposition Social Democratic Front held a banner reading "Forced silence... Vote according to your conscience" and staged a protest.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.