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Record number vote in Hong Kong

China Materials 24 November 2019 11:01 (UTC +04:00)
A record number of Hong Kong people turned out to vote on Sunday in district elections viewed as a barometer of support for city leader Carrie Lam
Record number vote in Hong Kong

A record number of Hong Kong people turned out to vote on Sunday in district elections viewed as a barometer of support for city leader Carrie Lam, who has been besieged by nearly six months of often violent anti-government protests, Trend reports citing Reuters.

Brutal attacks on election candidates in recent weeks have thrust the lowest tier of government in the Chinese-ruled city into the world spotlight as the government struggles to quieten angry demands for universal suffrage.

Government data showed 1,524,675 people had cast their vote by 1.30 p.m., with nine hours still left until polling stations closed, surpassing the 1,467,229 people who voted in the last district elections four years ago.

First results should start trickling in before midnight.

There was some concern that polling could be halted if violence erupts amid a rare lull in violent pro-democracy protests that have rocked the city for months.

There was only a small police presence on Sunday, in contrast to reports that riot police planned to guard all polling stations and almost the entire force of 31,000 would be on duty.

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