- Asia: Crushing victory for pro-Democrats in Hong Kong elections
- Hong Kong.The mysterious blue liquid that police throws at protesters
The international focus was waiting expectantly for municipal elections in Hong Kong that transcended far beyond neighborhood policy. After almost six months of protests, what was at stake was a plebiscite to Beijing. The discontent and anger of a people left aside the fire and the barricades and embraced the polls. They did it en masse, without violence or masks. And they razed their particular party of democracy. The anti-government parties, the pro-democratic opposition, won 388 seats out of the 452 that were at stake in the district council elections.
On Monday the city woke up with the first results. The barometer to ask for real support for the protests was clearly in favor of the pro-Democrats. There was even a record 71.2% share of the census. More than three million people - of 4.3 million voters - came to vote. At the conclusion of the scrutiny, the battalion of the official side , aligned with Beijing, which remained with 59 councilors, 233 less than in the previous local elections, was verified. The defeat was blunt, that of President Xi Jinping and that of the head of the local Executive, Carrie Lam, who raised the dust with his bill that allowed the extradition of fugitives to mainland China.
Although the reactions from the state media have minimized the victory of the pro-democrats in their editorials, that just a few days ago they told the voters related to the Communist Party that the "future of the city was in their hands", which depended on them " end chaos and violence. " Today, media such as the Global Times talk about "making a rational analysis" of the elections, highlighting that "the West has been helping the opposition of Hong Kong."
Beijing supports Carrie Lam
Carrie Lam, whose position as leader of the former colony is very touched after the elections, has stated that his Government "will respect the result, humbly listen to the opinions of the people and reflect seriously." But he said in a statement that there are "several analyzes and interpretations" about what happened at the polls. "These elections have been held under very difficult circumstances due to the incidents recorded in recent months. After more than five months of unrest I believe that the vast majority of the population shares my desire for peace and security."
But the leaders of the pro-democratic bloc have again requested Lam's resignation and that from the Chinese authorities they comply with the five demands they have been claiming since the beginning of the protests in June: the withdrawal of the extradition law - which was finally knocked down by Local executive after three million people took to the streets; withdraw the qualifying "revolt" to the protests of June 12, which entails sentences of 10 years in prison to those detained in the marches of that day; investigate police abuses during protests, freedom for detainees - there are already more than 4,000 -, and have complete universal suffrage so that the people can also choose the chief executive. That is, achieve a complete democracy in the city.
"The results go beyond the personal effort of the candidates, they are part of the movement of all protesters. Also of the people injured and arrested. We have to take into account that this is the basis of support," said Wu Chi-wai, President of the Democratic Party, which has gone from 43 to 91 seats , evicting the strongest party -pro Beijing- so far in the city, the Democratic Alliance for Improvement and Progress in Hong Kong. "Any responsible government must respond to calls from the public, including a reorganization in the administration, and Carrie Lam must resign," Chi-wai said. The same pointed out from the same side Alan Leong Ka-kit, president of the Civic Party, the second most represented group in the district councils, with 32 seats. " We want the current administration to consider the resignation, from above, towards all politically responsible secretaries and members of the Executive Board."
But from Beijing they reiterated their support for the head of the Hong Kong Government. "Our position is unequivocal. The central government strongly supports Carrie Lam to lead the Government and to end the violence and restore order," Geng Shuang, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, said at a press conference. He also hinted at a possible interference by other countries in what happened in the former colony. "The Chinese government is determined to protect our sovereignty and national development interests. We are determined to oppose foreign interference in these matters. Hong Kong is from China and Hong Kong affairs are purely internal affairs of China," Shuang concluded.
Now the pro-democratic parties are asking Carrie Lam to order the police to withdraw from the Polytechnic University, the last scene of clashes between protesters and riot police. The most violent entrenched themselves within the campus, resisting the siege of the agents. Today there are still a dozen of them. And, after the election results, thousands of protesters have marched to the University to ask that those who have been there for a week can leave without being arrested.
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