“I think that todays, the result of the election is the indicator to show whether Hong Kong people accept independence as our future or not”.
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The vote for Legislative Council lawmakers is the first major election since 2014 pro-democracy street protests rocked the Asian financial hub, and the outcome could pave the way for a fresh round of political confrontations over Beijing’s control of the city.
“People want change, . but the price is a further fragmentation (of the democracy camp)”.
That notion was further cemented when early results came out, showing politicians as young as 23 were elected – most of who demand more, or total, independence from China.
Law is a co-founder of the advocacy group Demosisto, which pushes for a referendum that includes an option to allow Hong Kong independence from China in 2047. Law argued that Hong Kong citizens have the right to determine their own future.
Another rookie, 38-year-old land reform campaigner Eddie Chu, was the election’s biggest surprise, winning 84,121 votes, the highest number of votes received by any of the more than 200 candidates competing for 35 seats in geographic constituencies.
The election is the first since the 2014 protests, which saw central areas of the island paralyzed by protestors mainly composed of young people. Full results are due later on Monday.
At least six young candidates who support self-determination for Hong Kong won seats.
After the elections, the Chinese government expressed its strong opposition against the political activities of democracy activists and issued warning to anyone supporting the independence of Hong Kong.
Those parties now have a foothold in the legislature with five young candidates backing independence or self-determination for Hong Kong taking seats.
The pro-democracy camp now controls 27 of 70 seats, and must keep at least a third of the seats to retain veto power.
The vote is the last before a successor to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying – who polls have shown as having a low popularity rating – is elected in March for the top post in the former British colony.
It is nearly impossible for the democracy camp to take a majority in LegCo as 30 of its 70 seats are elected by special interest groups representing a range of businesses and social sectors.
They are fighting for seats in the Legislative Council, or LegCo – Hong Kong’s lawmaking body – as concerns grow that Beijing is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city.
On Saturday (September 3) as part of TaiwanFest, Taiwanese journalist Tieh-chih Chang told a Vancouver audience that this Hong Kong election was particularly important. Preliminary reports indicated that several anti-China candidates won seats to the legislative council, a development that is likely to disrupt relations with Beijing, Reuters reported.
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The U.K. gave up Hong Kong to China in 1997. Until now, the pro-democracy forces in the city have been dominated by politicians who sought to expand the power of voters to select the city’s leaders and lawmakers under the guidance of the mini-constitution that codifies Hong Kong’s special relationship with mainland China, called “one country, two systems”.
