More than 2.2 million people voted, according to the Electoral Affairs Commission, with a turnout of 58% – up from 53% in 2012.
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“Well in these four years there has been a drastic change in the political spectrum of Hong Kong”. Young localists’ actions will increase the difficulty of talks between the anti-establishment camp and the central government and will also make more pan-democrats lean toward radical parties, Tian said.
Young people in the semi-autonomous territory have become increasingly outspoken since the failure of the Occupy movement to win democratic concessions from Beijing, with a growing number calling for self-determination or even independence.
“I hope to renew the democratic movement of Hong Kong”, Chu said.
Among them is Nathan Law, 23, leader of the 2014 “Umbrella Movement” rallies, who is guaranteed a seat after coming second in his constituency behind a pro-Beijing candidate.
That represents a break with the established mainstream “pan-democrat” parties, who have demanded voters be able to elect more lawmakers as well as the city’s top leader, or chief executive – now chosen by a panel of pro-Beijing elites – but never challenged the idea that Hong Kong is part of China.
Law, 23, contested as a candidate of the Demosisto party, which wants a referendum for Hong Kong residents on whether they should stay part of China.
“I want to do something to help”, said 28-year-old Maicy Leung, who was in a snaking queue of several hundred people. “Young people have a feeling of urgency when it comes to the future”.
“We still have to unite in order to have stronger power to fight the Chinese Communist Party”, Law told Reuters. They resurfaced in detention on the mainland.
Beijing also introduced a controversial law which required candidates to sign a document saying they understood Hong Kong was an “inalienable part of China”.
There has so far been no official comment from the authorities in Beijing.
The loudest pro-independence voices were banned by the government from standing in the vote, a move that triggered widespread anger.
Speaking to RFA’s Cantonese Service, newly elected lawmaker Baggio Leung, founder of the localist group Youngspiration, promised to uphold Hong Kong’s Basic Law according to “principles, but with no bottom line”.
Vote-counting is now underway, and the first results are expected later on Monday morning.
The risk is that the pro-democracy vote will be split, allowing pro-Beijing candidates to take more seats and removing a major hurdle for the government’s proposals, which in turn could lead to a new round of political confrontations.
However, early results showed the democrats are likely to hold on to that veto power.
However, the overall make-up of the LegCo remains weighted toward Beijing under a system that makes it nearly impossible for the democracy camp to take a majority.
Only 40 out of 70 total seats are directly elected by the public, while special interest groups representing a range of mostly pro-China businesses and social sectors select the rest 30 lawmakers.
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Candidates for the chief executive committee are chosen by a Beijing-backed committee.
