Hong Kong was voting Sunday in the first
election since Beijing amended the laws to reduce the number of directly
elected lawmakers and vet candidates to ensure that only those loyal to China
can run.

The semi-autonomous territory was rocked by
pro-democracy protests in 2014 and 2019, but they were crushed by security
forces, followed by the imposition of a sweeping national security law that
silenced most of the city’s opposition activists and led others to flee abroad.

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The low turnout was widely expected, and 11
hours after voting began, just 1,184,829 registered voters, or 26.49%, had cast
their ballots.

Warton Leung, who did not intend to vote in
Sunday’s election, said that the lack of choice in candidates dampened
enthusiasm for voting.

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“Although there is a chance to vote for
pro-establishment and democracy candidates, there are few democratic choices,
so Hong Kong people do not feel enthusiastic when it comes to voting,” he said.

Others, such as Yu Wai-kwan, saw the
election as a chance to vote for a better Hong Kong.

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“I am voting to choose a new bunch of
people to make Hong Kong a better place,” Yu said. “I am a patriot, and I
just hope for peace and quiet, and to have a good livelihood.”

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam visited a
polling station Sunday morning and said she had “no particular expectation”
about the turnout.

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“I would say that the government has not
set any target for voter turnout rate, not for this election, not for previous
elections, because there is a combination of factors that will affect the voter
turnout rate in any election,” she said.

Three protesters from the League of Social
Democrats staged a small demonstration across the street from the polling
station, chanting “I want real universal suffrage.”

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Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
Minister Erick Tsang warned that foreign forces may be attempting to undermine
the elections after overseas activists urged a boycott of the vote. Under the
new election laws, incitement to boycott and casting invalid votes can lead up
to three years in jail and a 200,000 Hong Kong dollar ($26,500) fine.

The latest survey by the Hong Kong Public
Opinion Research Institute found that 39% of respondents indicated that they
are unlikely to vote.

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Some 4.4 million residents are eligible to
vote. The elections were originally scheduled to take place in September last
year, but were postponed with authorities citing public health risks due to the
pandemic. The decision was opposed by the pro-democracy camp, which accused the
government of using the outbreak to delay the vote.

Hong Kong’s largest opposition party, the
Democratic Party, fielded no candidates.

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Heavy police presence surrounded polling
stations Sunday. Police chief Raymond Siu said about 10,000 officers would be
deployed to make sure the election proceeds smoothly.

To encourage the vote, authorities offered
free public transport in an unprecedented move, and sent out reminder messages
a day before the polls.

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“Casting your vote for HK — our Home! LegCo
Election is important to you and HK’s future!” the message read, referring to
the Legislative Council.

China
altered Hong Kong’s election law

The rubber-stamp Chinese parliament in
March passed a resolution to alter Hong Kong’s election law that many saw as
effectively ending the “one country, two systems” framework under which Hong
Kong was to retain its separate legal, political and financial institutions for
50 years following the handover from Britain in 1997.

The assembly voted to give a pro-Beijing
committee power to appoint more of Hong Kong’s lawmakers, reducing the
proportion of those directly elected, and ensuring that only those truly loyal
to Beijing are allowed to run for office.

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The move expanded the size of the chamber
from 70 to 90 seats, with members of the Election Committee, a strongly pro-Beijing
body responsible for electing the chief executive, making up 40 of those.
Another 30 seats are elected by business groupings known as “functional
constituencies.” The number of directly elected representatives was reduced
from 35 to 20. Five seats elected from among district councillors were
abolished altogether.