A new generation of lawmakers bent on preserving Hong Kong’s autonomy against increasing interference from China is heading to victory in the territory’s parliamentary elections. And mainstream media outlets launched smear campaigns against pro-democracy candidates.
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Their victory suggests that the call that “Hong Kong should determine its future by itself” has been accepted by many voters.
The September 2016 poll was the first major election held in Hong Kong since the watershed pro-democratic demonstrations in the city, which blocked roads and stretched on for a full 79 days, drawing global attention in the process. The two were were convicted last month for their roles in leading the protests, but received light sentences.
Final results showed pro-democracy candidates won 30 of 70 seats in the Legislative Council.
Most established pro-democracy politicians do not support the notion of independence and there were concerns in the democratic camp that new activists would split the vote, triggering overall losses.
Record turnout in Sunday’s vote helped sweep the newcomers into office, most notably Nathan Law, a 23-year-old former student protest leader, who garnered the second-highest number of votes in his six-seat Hong Kong Island constituency.
Of 3.7 million voters, 58 per cent came out to vote, compared with 53 per cent in 2012.
“I think (Beijing) will be very anxious, I’m representing a new vision of Hong Kong’s future and a brand new force of the resistant camp”, he added, vowing to continue civil disobedience action against Chinese Communist rule.
The pro-democracy candidates needed to secure at least 24 of the 70 total seats to be able to block government attempts to pass legislation.
The rebuff confronts Mr. Xi with a dilemma: conciliate with the opposition, including those who still favor Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong, or crack down still harder.
The statement, issued by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, noted that certain organizations and candidates in Hong Kong were publicly advocating for “Hong Kong independence”, capitalizing on the exposure afforded to them by the LegCo election.
Only 40 seats are directly elected by the public.
Hong Kong’s relationship with Beijing may get a bit bumpier.
The dissatisfaction with government in Hong Kong has also been fed by a ballooning gap between the rich and the poor, combined with signs that the mainland is trying to tighten its grip over the territory.
Candidates from groups advocating localism or self-determination won about 410,000 votes in five geographical constituencies out of the 2.2 million valid ballots.
Professor Lau Siu Kai, chairman of a Beijing-backed think-tank, said the new, radical lawmakers will be tough to deal with and the pro-Beijing camp will need to find a way to push through policies by working with the pan-democrats. Under the “one country, two systems” model, Hong Kong is supposed to keep its capitalist economy and more democratic system until 2047, but the central Chinese government has been known to flex its muscles.
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“Independence is not realistic at all”, she said.
