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Hong Kong votes in by-election for ‘patriotic’ only | Political Issues

More than 10 people have been arrested in the run-up to the by-elections for inciting voters to cast their ballots.

Voters in Hong Kong went to the polls on Sunday for the first time since the election, and a major national security law has been enacted.

Legislative Council Election – how only those who are considered “patriotic” by the government can compete with them – was opposed by freedom fighters, foreign governments and freedom groups.

Hong Kong government officials have been urging voters to cast their ballots, saying the vote was fair. They are pushing for reform, as a security policy enacted last year, is essential for stability after the protests that disrupted the Asian economy in 2019.

The turning point has been at an all-time high in the run-up to the election, with the government on Saturday sending blank blankets to Hong Kong residents urging people to vote and some protesters urging people not to go as protests.

It is a crime in Hong Kong to encourage someone to abstain from voting or voting incorrectly.

Preliminary data showed that the turnout was lower than in the 2016 general election, according to Reuters sources.

Previous elections were 58 percent, while 43.6 percent in 2000 was the lowest since Britain returned the city to Chinese rule in 1997.

Some of the first to vote when the polls opened at 8:30 am (0030 GMT) said they were keen to carry out their development work in order to maintain order.

University of Language teacher Tam Po-chu, 79, said he hoped the new council would listen to the people. “It doesn’t matter if they don’t care about the people of Hong Kong,” he said.

Hong Kong Director Carrie Lam, one of the first to vote, told reporters at a polling station in the Mid-Levels that the government had not “set a target” for voter turnout, and did not know anything about the Chinese leadership.

The Beijing Liaison Office in the city did not respond to a Reuters call for comment.

Before Lam could speak, several opponents of the opposition League of Social Democrats chanted slogans demanding universal independence and waved a banner read “forced to remain silent … a free spirit, a vote and a clear conscience”.

Hong Kong President Carrie Lam, one of the first to vote on Sunday, told reporters that the government had “not set any goals” on the number of new arrivals, and did not know anything about the Chinese leadership. [Bertha Wang/AFP]

Security was tight around the city, with 10,000 police officers and about 40,000 government officials deployed. Police Chief Raymond Siu told reporters that the mass deployment was to ensure that voting in hundreds of places in the city was conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner.

Secretary-General John Lee, a former security chief, urged people to come, saying that those who do not have them are “terrorists” who want the vote to fail.

In the run-up to the by-elections, more than 10 people have been arrested for inciting voters to cast their ballots, including people who have re-posted social media posts from others, according to the government.




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