Sharjah24 – Reuters: Hong Kong voters went to the polls on Sunday for the first time since an electoral overhaul and a sweeping national security law were imposed on the city.
The Legislative Council election - in which only candidates deemed by the government to be "patriots" can run - has been criticised by some activists, foreign governments and rights groups.
Hong Kong government leaders have been urging people to vote, saying the poll is representative. They insist the overhaul, like the security law imposed last year, was needed to ensure stability after protracted protests that rocked the Asian financial hub in 2019.
Turnout has been at the core of election debates, with the government on Saturday sending blanket text messages to Hong Kong residents urging people to vote and some critics calling on people to stay away as a protest.
It is a crime in Hong Kong to incite someone not to vote or to cast an invalid vote.
Turnout was running lower than the last legislative election in 2016, according to government figures.
After five hours of voting, official figures showed 14.3% of the electorate had voted, down from 18.88% at the same point four years ago. The previous election turnout was 58%, while the 43.6% in 2000 was the lowest since Britain returned the city to Chinese rule in 1997.
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