1. THREAD: Today is #HongKong’s Election Day. The polls will open momentarily through 10:30 p.m. local time. Across 18 districts, 452 seats are contested under the first-past-the-post system. (27 ex officio members represent rural areas.) The opposition needs 240 for a majority.
2. The 18 District Councils focus on local issues, so traditionally, these elections are far less politicized than the territory-wide Legislative Council, which makes laws and is much more powerful. However, against the backdrop of the ongoing protests, the mood is different.
3. Until disqualified last month for advocating self-determination, my friend @joshuawongcf had intended to run in the South Horizons West constituency. The incident has made international headlines and reminded us not to depoliticize the elections. wsj.com/articles/disqu…
@joshuawongcf 4. In the lead up to this weekend, the government has threatened to delay or cancel the elections, citing social unrest. Many have rightly suspected that the real reason is the fear of the pro-establishment camp’s defeat. Fortunately, Beijing decided against doing so in the end.
@joshuawongcf 5. Plans for increased police presence around polling stations will heighten tensions. But the protests have so far calmed down over the past few days. Hong Kongers are hoping that the elections won’t face any major disruption, but rumors suggesting otherwise still abound.
@joshuawongcf 6. It’s a truism that — given Beijing’s sophisticated, well-funded apparatus to mobilize supporters — a higher turnout benefits pro-democracy candidates. The opposition camp is aiming for at least 60 percent, roughly 2.48 million of Hong Kong’s 4.13 million registered voters.
@joshuawongcf 7. For comparison, turnout was 44.1 percent in 2003 — in the wake of the major July 1 protest that successfully forced Beijing to withdraw a proposed national-security bill — up from 35.9 percent in 1999. Last time, in 2015, that number was a little over 47 percent.
@joshuawongcf 8. The most recent Legislative Council election, on Sept. 4, 2016, had a turnout of 58.3 percent. Our goal today is to surpass that number.
@joshuawongcf 9. District councilors comprise 117 of 1,200 members in the Beijing-dominated committee that elects the chief executive. Winning a majority for the first time is hence significant, especially considering Carrie Lam won 777 votes in 2017, and Leung Chun-Ying won 689 votes in 2012.
@joshuawongcf 10. While none of the 18 District Councils are now controlled by the opposition, this can easily change. In Sha Tin, where I grew up, the pro-democracy camp currently holds 19 seats, just one short of the pro-establishment camp’s 20 seats. Several other districts are also close.
@joshuawongcf 11. My own representative in the Chung On constituency is Yip Wing of the Labour Party. An accomplished community organizer, he’s running for reelection on a strong record of championing the rights of people with disabilities like him. I applaud his work and wish him success.
@joshuawongcf 12. I urge Hong Kongers to consult the full list of candidates endorsed by Power for Democracy and vote accordingly. Together, we can shake the foundations of Beijing’s authority and send a clear signal to the world that our movement is far from over. facebook.com/PowerForDemocr…
@joshuawongcf 13. I’ll be following the elections closely all day. The Stand News is also running an interactive portal on its website to display live results. Best of luck, Hong Kong. THREAD ENDS. dce2019.thestandnews.com
