In the months since officials announced that Sunday would be the date for the 2023 District Council election, the first since a major overhaul that drastically reduced the number of democratically elected seats, posters of hopefuls have begun to pop up across the city.
And while nothing about that is out of the ordinary, there is one major difference between the banners bedecking houses, malls and wet market stalls this year: none bear the faces of opposition candidates.
Changes to the nomination process were among those approved in July. To run in the restricted race, individuals had to secure nominations from at least three members of three district committees, which were stacked with pro-establishment figures. Members of pro-democracy parties, and even some from more middle-of-the-road political groups, found themselves shut out of the process.
Ultimately, 75 per cent of those who received sufficient nominations to run for the public vote also sat on the committees responsible for selecting suitable candidates, with all hopefuls also subjected to national security vetting to ensure patriotism.
The plan to overhaul the District Council elections was unveiled in May, designed to ensure only “patriots” could be elected, following a pro-democracy landslide at the last polls in 2019.
The number of seats chosen democratically by the public were slashed from 452 to 88 – reducing the power of public votes to a fifth. The rest will be chosen by the city’s leader and government-appointed committees.
Constituency boundaries were also redrawn, and voting hours were cut by an hour. Each local council will be chaired by a government official, similar to colonial-era arrangements.
After recording a record turnout of 71.2 per cent in 2019, the highest for any election ever held in Hong Kong, there has been much discussion of voter numbers on Sunday.
While officials have said that an election should not be assessed simply by the turnout rate, the government has introduced various initiatives to encourage voter turnout, including hosting outdoor music performances, and subsidising elderly community centres to assist seniors cast their votes.
The city’s leader John Lee and the Chief Secretary Eric Chan have also urged Hongkongers – especially civil servants – to vote in the “patriots only” race on Sunday.
Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk has said the government attaches great importance to this election.
“Everyone is actively engaged in various forms of promotion, including producing many promotional videos. It can be described as an all-out effort, and some have gone to great lengths,” Cheuk said.
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