Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners have erupted with euphoria as counting for district council elections points to a landslide victory amid almost six months of anti-government protests. So far, initial results from the vote, which ended with no major disruptions, signaled a clear majority for the pro-democracy camp, who have so far won more than 300 seats, compared to about 41 seats for the pro-establishment camp, according to local media estimates.
Four years ago at the previous vote, democrats only secured about 100 seats.
When the results began trickling in after midnight (local time), including upset wins for democrats against heavyweight pro-Beijing opponents, some voting centres erupted in loud cheers and chants of "Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution now", which has been a slogan for many protesters.
Some winning candidates said the result was akin to a vote of support for the demonstrators, and could raise the heat on Hong Kong's pro-Beijing Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, amid the city's worst political crisis in decades.
Read more here:
For more from ABC News, click here:
If you're in Australia, you can watch more ABC News content on iview:
Subscribe to us on YouTube:
Go deeper on our ABC News In-depth channel:
You can also like us on Facebook:
Or follow us on Instagram:
Or even on Twitter:
0 Comments