Protest-Hit Hong Kong Registers Record-High Turnout in District Council Elections

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th November, 2019) Hong Kongers turned out in huge numbers for the district council elections on Sunday, with a whopping 71.2 percent of registered voters having cast their ballots, according to the autonomous city's Registration and Electoral Office.

Sunday's elections are considered to be a test of support for both the local authorities and the so-called pro-democracy lawmakers after six months of protests. On the eve of the vote, instead of arranging new weekend protests, activists urged their supporters to go to the polls and vote for pro-democracy candidates.

"A total of about 2,940,000 registered electors have cast their votes in the 2019 District Council Ordinary Election yesterday (November 24), representing a provisional cumulative turnout rate of about 71.

2%," the office said in a statement.

The turnout in the 2015 district council elections totaled 47 percent.

Citing the first preliminary data, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported that the vote is set to result in significant gains for the pro-democracy camp.

Hong Kong has been facing a wave of rallies against the now-withdrawn extradition bill since June. The protests eventually escalated into violent confrontations between demonstrators and the police. Beijing views the situation in Hong Kong is a direct result of foreign interference in China's domestic affairs and expresses full support for the local authorities' actions.