December 9, 2025 | 10:20 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Voter participation in the Legislative Council (LegCo) election in Hong Kong on Sunday, December 7, has once again declined. According to a report by Al Jazeera, the government stated that the participation rate reached 31.9 percent, slightly above the 30.2 percent in the 2021 election, the first poll after Beijing overhauled the system to allow only government-screened candidates to run. This election selected 90 legislators, but only 20 seats were directly voted on by the public.
According to a report by NBC News, the 31.9 percent participation is deemed to not reflect strong support for the changes in the election system that have eliminated vocal opposition in Hong Kong. The figure also remains much lower compared to the elections before the new regulations, when participation rates usually exceeded 50 percent.
Public Anger over the Wang Fuk Court Fire
The election took place amidst a mood of mourning and anger following a major fire that engulfed the Wang Fuk Court housing block in northern Hong Kong. According to Al Jazeera, a total of 159 people died in the incident, and it halted political campaigning since late November. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee previously announced the formation of an independent committee led by a judge to investigate the tragedy that destroyed seven renovated apartment blocks.
Public anger over the government's responsibility after the fire also weakened voter enthusiasm, despite the government adding polling stations, extending voting hours, and holding candidate forums.
Arrest and Suppression of Students
The Hong Kong anti-corruption agency arrested four men on Sunday for social media posts encouraging people not to vote or to spoil ballots. An arrest warrant was also issued for a man the day before. Among those detained was Miles Kwan, a 24-year-old student, who distributed leaflets demanding government accountability. However, he has been released.
Earlier in the week, a university also suspended the operations of a student union after messages of condolences and calls for justice for the fire victims were posted on campus. The public has stated that calls for boycott have been criminalized since the implementation of revised national security laws following the large-scale protests in 2019.
Read: Hong Kong Holds Election as City Reels from Deadly Fire
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