{"id":188634,"date":"2015-11-23T22:34:10","date_gmt":"2015-11-24T06:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=188634"},"modified":"2021-09-14T20:37:18","modified_gmt":"2021-09-15T03:37:18","slug":"hong-kongs-umbrella-soldiers-win-seats-local-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2015\/11\/hong-kongs-umbrella-soldiers-win-seats-local-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"HK ‘Umbrella Soldiers’ Win Seats In Local Elections"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Sunday, eight supporters of Hong Kong’s democracy movement, known as “Umbrella Soldiers,” were elected as\u00a0district councilors<\/a><\/strong>. This was the first time the city had gone to the polls since Occupy Central protesters took to the streets last year<\/a> demanding that Beijing retract its plan to vet candidates for the city’s 2017 chief executive election<\/a>. Donny Kwok and Clare Baldwin at Reuters report:<\/p>\n

The election of the so-called Umbrella Soldiers – named after the 2014 demonstrations in which activists used umbrellas to guard against tear gas and pepper spray – reflects continued support for political change in the Chinese-ruled city.<\/p>\n

“The paratroopers are the new force,” said James Sung, a political analyst at the City University of Hong Kong, referring to candidates inspired by the Umbrella movement. “The paratroopers are a new power, a challenge to the government and the central authorities in Beijing.”<\/p>\n

Results from Sunday’s polls, which saw about 900 candidates compete for 431 district council seats, where pro-Beijing parties currently hold a majority, were announced on Monday. [Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hong Kong Free Press’\u00a0Vivienne Zeng\u00a0provides a detailed breakdown of the election results<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Pro-establishment\u00a0side:<\/p>\n