Voter turnout plunges in Hong Kong under new election laws

Voter turnout in Hong Kong sank to 30 percent Sunday in the first legislative 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 could run

HONG KONG -- Voter turnout in Hong Kong sank to 30 percent Sunday in the first legislative 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 could run.

The semi-autonomous territory was rocked by pro-democracy protests in 2014 and 2019 that were 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.

Barnabas Fung, the chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission, announced that about 1,350,680 people, or about 30.2% of registered voters, had cast ballots. More than 50 percent voted in the two previous polls in 2012 and 2016.

Results were being announced Monday morning. Candidates who back the city's current leadership and Beijing were expected to dominate the new legislature.