Hong Kong election ‘irrelevant and illegitimate’

Former Hong Kong politicians interpret the low turnout in the general election as a clear rejection by citizens of the growing authoritarian influence of the People’s Republic of China. In an interview with China.Table, activist Sunny Cheung said he considered the absence of many voters to be a clear message that they considered the ballot to be a sham. Thus, they had refused to recognize it. „Although Beijing has declared electoral reform for Hong Kong an inevitable means to ensure stability and prosperity, Hong Kong’s people last Sunday ensured the lowest voter turnout in history as a way to express their discontent to the world,“ Cheung said. He had himself run for the Legislative Council in June 2020 as a candidate from the pro-democracy camp. Later that year, however, he fled to avoid arrest in Hong Kong. The election took place only now – under entirely different conditions.