Following months of pro-democracy protests, Hong Kong sees a record number of voters in local elections hoping to send Beijing a message
The selection of 452 councillors handling community-level concerns like bus routes and garbage collection traditionally generates little excitement but has taken on new significance following months of political unrest.
"I hope this ballot can increase our voice in the council," 19-year-old student Michael Ng, voting for the first time in his life, told AFP. But the polls are not entirely symbolic: some candidates for next year's legislative elections will be drawn from district councillors, and the councils also will contribute 117 members to the 1,200-strong Beijing-controlled electoral college that chooses the chief executive.Protests have been muted in recent days after pro-democracy figures urged citizens to cease disruptions to avoid giving the government an excuse to delay or suspend the polls.
The bill was eventually withdrawn amid public pressure, but the anger that it unleashed sparked the wider calls for democracy.
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