HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong‘s democrats on Monday retained their critical legislative veto over constitutional amendments after an election dominated by mass protests over perceived interference from mainland China.
The final official count after Sunday’s vote showed democratic candidates gaining four seats in the Asian financial centre‘s Legislative Council, while pro-Beijing parties boosted their representation by six seats.
The assembly expands from 60 to 70 seats for the next four-year term under changes meant to make it more representative.
Pro-democrats hold only 27 seats even though they won some 60 percent of the popular vote, while the establishment camp won 43 seats thanks to an electoral system that is tilted in favor of big business groups and vested interests.
The pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) is the strongest force with 13 seats.
Turnout was a near record of around 53 percent, fuelled by protests against a plan to introduce mandatory Chinese patriotism classes that forced the government into an election-eve policy climbdown.
“We were unsure about the impact from the national education issue ...
Fortunately, despite the high voter turnout, we still won,” DAB chairman Tam Yiu-chung told reporters.
Tensions have also been brewing over corruption, the yawning gap between rich and poor, soaring property prices fuelled by wealthy mainlanders and the strains on public services from millions of mainland tourists.
The democrats’ minority bloc means that the executive -- under a leader who is chosen by a 1,200-strong committee packed with pro-establishment business leaders -- will not be able to force through undemocratic amendments.
But mainstream democrats lamented their failure to turn the rising anti-Beijing sentiment into more significant electoral gains.
They blamed deep divisions within the democratic camp and the rising popularity of radical groups that want the immediate implementation of full democracy, rather than the slower, consensus-driven approach advocated by mainstream parties.
The best-known pro-democracy party lost two seats despite the expanded number on offer, prompting chairman Albert Ho to resign and deliver an emotional apology to the party faithful.
“For the serious failure in this election I have to accept full political responsibility as the chairman of the Democratic Party,” Ho said after bowing before the television cameras at a press conference.
He said Hong Kong people had become “increasingly impatient” with the pro-Beijing government and a complicated electoral system that reserves almost half the legislature for mainly pro-Beijing elites.
“I think a lot of voters have decided to choose some people who ... play a much more aggressive role in the Legislative Council,” he said.
Pro-democracy lawmaker Ronny Tong, from the Civic Party, said: “This is a dismal performance (for the pro-democracy camp). We paid a high price.”
The final count means the Democratic Party shares its status as the biggest pro-democracy party in the legislature with the Civic Party, which also won six seats.
The radical anti-Beijing People Power party added one seat to its previous tally of two, while the equally radical League of Social Democrats held on to its single seat with the return of maverick lawmaker “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung.
The election was seen as a test of popular support for the pro-Beijing government, and by extension for the mainland authorities‘ hold on the city 15 years after Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule as a semi-autonomous territory.
Surveys show satisfaction with the Communist Party’s performance in governing China is at its lowest point since the 1997 handover.
Beijing has promised universal suffrage for Hong Kong‘s next leadership election in 2017, and by 2020 for the legislature, but democrats are preparing for a fight amid fears the mainland will try to veto candidates.
Hong Kong Institute of Education political analyst Sonny Lo said Beijing should be “alarmed” that 60 percent of Hong Kong people rejected pro-establishment candidates.
“If Hong Kong was to democratize into one big constituency in which citizens will be able to cast their votes, democrats will gain the majority,” he said.
