Hong Kong leader 'will reflect' after pro-democracy movement scores crushing victory in district elections

The Hong Kong government will "seriously reflect" after voters gave pro-democracy candidates a landslide win in council elections following months of demonstrations.

Videos of residents popping champagne bottles late Sunday night circulated on social media as the first results of Hong Kong’s 2019 district council elections came through.

Hong Kong's pro-Beijing chief executive, Carrie Lam, said in a statement on Monday that the government respected the results and wished "the peaceful, safe and orderly situation to continue".

"There are various analyses and interpretations in the community in relation to the results, and quite a few are of the view that the results reflect people's dissatisfaction with the current situation and the deep-seated problems in society," she said.

The government would "listen to the opinions of members of the public humbly and seriously reflect", Ms Lam said.

A record-breaking 71 per cent of the electorate cast their ballot in Sunday's vote, which was considered a referendum on Ms Lam's leadership after the last six months of unrest, sparked by a now-scrapped extradition bill.

Pro-democracy candidates won 385 out of the 452 contested seats, leaving pro-Beijing candidates and independents with just 59 and 8 seats, respectively.

Pro-establishment candidates, who had run unopposed in the previous 2015 elections, were challenged in every constituency across all 18 districts of the Asian financial hub, with pro-democracy candidates winning 17 of them. The result marks an historic shift in the make-up of district councillors, which have been dominated by pro-establishment members for years.

Councillors’ powers are limited to local affairs, such as planning bus routes, dealing with pest control and organising recreational activities within their constituencies.

Big losses for the Beijing camp included Junius Ho, an outspoken pro-establishment candidate and heavy critic of the protest movement, who lost his seat in the Tuen Mun District to a pro-democracy candidate.

The vote also saw multiple first-time runners within the pro-democracy camp unseat their more experienced pro-establishment rivals.

Leticia Wong, a first time runner and pro-democracy candidate, claimed 65 per cent of the vote, beating rival Wong Ka Wing in Sha Tin. Jocelyn Chau and Jimmy Sham, both of whom had been attacked in the months leading up to the election, also claimed strong victories in their constituencies.

Wan Chai District, an area previously dominated by pro-government candidates with 84 per cent of the seats going into the election, is now controlled by pro-democracy candidates with 69 per cent of the seats under their control.

Kenneth Chan, an associate professor at the Hong Kong Baptist University and former legislator, said “The people have spoken loud and clear… We are witnessing an unprecedented level of participation and also an unprecedented level of solidarity within the pro-democracy movement.”

Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, described Ms Lam's promise to reflect on the election results as "reassuring".

“I welcome the Hong Kong government facilitating these elections, which were an important opportunity for the people of Hong Kong to make their voices heard. We don't want to see any more violence. It was reassuring to hear Carrie Lam commit to reflecting seriously on the message delivered by the people of Hong Kong," he said.

“There is now an opportunity to find a way through the crisis with political dialogue that reflects the legitimate aspirations of the people of Hong Kong and respects the one country two systems model.”

The landslide win appears to counter Beijing’s theory there is a “silent majority” within Hong Kong that oppose the protest movement, and adds further pressure to Ms Lam’s administration.

One hundred and seventeen district councillors also sit on the Election Committee, a 1,200 member group that picks the next Chief Executive. Largely in control of the district councils, pro-democracy councillors will occupy many of those 117 seats in 2022, giving them a greater say in the next Chief Executive election.

With tensions still running high after the previous week’s violent clashes at universities, the pro-democracy protest movement seems far from over.

In their first move as district council officials, the newly elected pro-democracy councillors are planning to visit the remaining protesters at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University this afternoon, where intense fighting last week led to hundreds of injuries and arrests.