Hong Kong democrats face losses as fewer vote in district elections

Nov 18, 2007, 10:56 GMT

Hong Kong - Hong Kong's pro-democracy parties were bracing themselves for heavy losses after relatively few voters turned out for Sunday's district council elections.

By 5.30 pm (0930 GMT) just under 750,000 people or 25.3 per cent of voters had turned out in the elections, around 2.5 per cent less at the same time in the last district council poll four years ago.

Low turnouts traditionally favour pro-Beijing parties and mean less votes for pro-democracy candidates, who performed strongly in the 2003 elections which saw a record 44 per cent turnout.

With hours to go before polls closed, pro-democracy parties in the city of 6.9 million were text-messaging supporters to go to the polling booths to try to prevent heavy losses of seats.

District councils have limited power in the former British colony but Sunday's elections but are seen as an important barometer of the city's overall desire for democracy.

A total of 2.96 million voters are eligible to vote for 878 candidates contesting 365 seats in the elections, results of which are expected Monday morning.

The record turnout in 2003 came amid an economic slump and followed a huge anti-government protest on July 1 that year that brought more than 500,000 people to the streets.

Hong Kong's economy has since rallied strongly and unpopular chief executive Tung Chee-hwa stepped down to be replaced by the more people-friendly Donald Tsang.

Hong Kong currently has only limited democracy with no popular vote for chief executive and only half its 60 legislators chosen by direct elections.

The city is technically entitled to full democracy from 2007 under the terms of its mini-constitution after it was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 but China has so far refused to allow universal suffrage.