Pro-Beijing candidates have dominated Hong Kong’s legislative elections, beating out moderates and independents in the city’s first public poll after Beijing passed a resolution to amend the city’s election laws.
Candidates loyal to Beijing won a majority of the seats in Sunday’s election after the laws were changed to ensure that only pro-Beijing “patriots” could run the city.
She said that the number of registered voters reached 92.5%, a record high compared to the 2012 and 2016 elections, when around 70% of voters had registered. Under the new laws, the number of directly elected lawmakers was reduced from 35 to 20, even as the legislature was expanded from 70 to 90 seats. Most of the lawmakers were appointed by largely pro-Beijing bodies, ensuring that they make up the majority of the legislature.Lam said that even if there was a high turnout rate based on “poor politics,” such as the political polarization during the period of political strife in 2019, that is “not something we should be glad to have.
Lam said she expects that work with the 90 legislators would continue to be “very exciting” because they have different opinions on many social issues.
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