{"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 Pan-democratic side:<\/p>\n Sunday’s election saw a record level of voter turnout with 47 percent of eligible voters casting their ballots. Besides their stance towards the mainland, a candidate’s policy platform was often a stronger determining factor for voters due to the role that councillors play in advising government<\/a><\/strong> on the day-to-day concerns of district communities. South China Morning Post’s Joyce Ng, Tony Cheung, Emily Tsang, and Ng Kang-chung spoke with voters about their views:<\/p>\n Yu Lok-man, 21, of Tuen Mun, explains why he didn’t cast his ballot.<\/p>\n “District council members do not really do anything. I don’t see what they have done for us all these years. So I prefer not to waste time [voting].”<\/p>\n Retiree Mrs Kwok, 65, of Wan Chai.<\/p>\n “The Occupy [campaign] was not bad, but it lasted too long and it seemed to have blocked many people [from going to work] \u2026 But I only look at the candidates’ platforms and track records, not whether they endorsed the movement or not.”<\/p>\n Luk Kin-pong, 32, of Wan Chai, says why he goes to the polls.<\/p>\n “I was not so concerned [about elections] in the past, but after Occupy, I would really think whether this [candidate] could help my community \u2026 I also cared about the poll and I know that my ballot can help improve the community.”\u00a0[<\/span>Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
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