Hong Kong activists arrested in metropolis’s ‘birdcage’ election By Reuters

By Jessie Pang and Joyce Zhou

HONG KONG (Reuters) -Three Hong Kong pro-democracy activists have been arrested on Sunday, simply earlier than voting started in a “patriots solely” district election that has marginalised previously in style opposition figures within the metropolis amid a nationwide safety clampdown.

The professional-China authorities has been searching for to spice up turnout, as some observers see massive numbers spurning the polls, in distinction to the final council elections in 2019, throughout Hong Kong’s mass pro-democracy protests, which drew a file 71% turnout and a landslide victory for the democratic camp.

Police arrested three members of the “League of Social Democrats” within the Central enterprise district, the group stated. It had deliberate to protest in opposition to the “birdcage election” that it stated lacked any democratic scope, given vetting necessities by authorities which have successfully barred all democrats from working.

“Hong Kong individuals’s proper to vote and to be elected appears to be absent,” the group stated in a press release.

Police didn’t instantly supply grounds for the arrests. Town’s structure ensures freedom of meeting.

Laws launched in July slashed the straight elected district council seats by practically 80% from 4 years in the past.

All candidates should now bear nationwide safety background checks and safe nominations from pro-government committees. At the least three pro-democracy teams, together with moderates, and even some pro-Beijing figures did not safe sufficient nominations.

‘HARD TO TALK ABOUT DEMOCRACY’

The modifications additional slim electoral freedoms within the former colony that Britain returned to Chinese language rule in 1997. The crackdown beneath a 2020 China-imposed nationwide safety legislation has led to the arrests of former district councillors and the disbandment of main opposition events.

“It’s the final piece of the puzzle for us to implement the rules of patriots governing Hong Kong,” Hong Kong chief John Lee stated whereas casting his poll along with his spouse, claiming that the earlier ballot in 2019 had been used to sabotage governance and endanger nationwide safety.

Safety was tight round many polling stations with over ten thousand police deployed to keep up order.

Whereas some western governments say the China-imposed nationwide safety legislation has been used to crack down on dissent, China says it has introduced stability to the monetary hub after the protracted pro-democracy protests of 2019.

For weeks the main pro-Beijing and pro-government events have been out in power, campaigning and festooning streets with posters and flyers in a bid to bolster turnout. On Saturday night time, a harbourfront carnival that includes fireworks and patriotic pop singers made last-minute appeals for individuals to vote.

Some weren’t satisfied.

“The broad political spectrum of voices that we noticed 4 years has all gone,” stated Tang, a 27-year-old who stated she would boycott the vote, asking to be recognized solely by her household identify.

Turnout was about 11.6% at 12:30 p.m. (0430 GMT), down from 31% on the similar time within the earlier election.

“It’s extremely laborious to speak about democracy or democratisation anymore in right now’s Hong Kong,” stated Kenneth Chan, a political scientist at Hong Kong’s Baptist College and a former pro-democracy lawmaker.

“What they’re doing now could be the set up of the so-called patriots-only governance construction.”