Hong Kong elections record a high 71.2 pc voter turnout

Hong Kong voters turned out in unprecedented numbers for local elections on Sunday, with 71.2 per cent of the city's 4.1 million registered voters casting their ballots by the time the polls closed, the semi-autonomous region's Election Commission said, as cited by NHK world.

The figure sharply exceeded the 47 per cent turnout in the same election back in 2015.

Sunday's election was the first public poll in the city since mass protests broke out after the China-backed government proposed a controversial extradition bill, which has since been withdrawn.

It is owing to this continuing political unrest that the election of 452 district councillors, who oversee everyday neighbourhood affairs, carries greater significance than the similar previous polls.

The results will be seen as a barometer of support for the anti-government protest movement now roiling the city and could exert more pressure on embattled leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to find new ways to resolve the impasse.

In addition, the results of the local elections will have a knock-on effect for the Legislative Council elections next year which draw candidates from among successful district councillors.