US EditionHong Kong Election Sees 31.9% Turnout After Deadly Fire
Turnout rose slightly to 31.9%, with authorities arresting people for inciting boycotts amid efforts to support fire victims and maintain political stability.
- On December 7, 2025, Hong Kong held a Legislative Council election and Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu cast his ballot, referencing the recent fire that killed 159 people.
- Following the Wang Fuk Court blaze that killed 159 people, campaigning was suspended and remained subdued, while officials urged public appeals to vote for recovery and reform.
- Preliminary figures showed turnout at 31.9 percent, with 4.13 million registered voters and twenty of the 90-seat Legislative Council seats contested.
- Newly elected lawmakers must hit the ground running, as the government plans to propose relief, rebuilding, and construction-sector reforms at the new Legislative Council first meeting, Lee said.
- After Beijing's 2021 overhaul, only vetted 'patriots' could stand for Legco seats, and national security authorities made arrests including 15 construction suspects, Miles Kwan and a 71-year-old man.
192 Articles
192 Articles
Hong Kong’s ‘Patriotic’ Election
Better to watch the phone. Photo from South China Morning PostHong Kong’s four-year exercise in “patriotic” democracy took place on December 7 against the backdrop of anger over the city’s worst fire in nearly eight decades, overshadowing government efforts to rally support for the polls in an exercise that bore little resemblance to free or fair elections. To sum up the imbalances, 1,317,682 voters, or 31.9 percent of those registered, elected …
The anger among Hong Kong's citizens about obvious failures in fire protection is great. The government is increasingly nervous, suppressing critical voices – including representatives of foreign media.
"Only patriots" were allowed to compete on Sunday, the voters were hardly interested. This has very little to do with democracy.
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