The landslide victory by the opposition in the current local election could be considered as a referendum on both the Hong Kong government and Beijing. The people’s voice is a clear and loud “No” to the latter’s hard-lined policy.
In general the oppositions enjoy a 55-60 percent of support in legislative election, but in local election they drop to 40 percent. The fact that the oppositions now garner 57 percent (up to now) of the vote as opposed to the pro-Beijing parties of 41 percent is surely a big victory.
In terms of seats it is even a bigger victory. It got 388 seats in total, an increase of 263 seats, while pro-Beijing parties lost 240 seats and only able to retain 59 seats.
The popularity of the pan-democrat camp could already be seen in a poll before the election: 83 percent of the population lay the blame of violence on the door of the government, while 40 percent thought it is chiefly the protestors’ responsibility.
What this poll shows also coincide with another poll: 70-80 percent of the population support the five demands of the movement.
Still nobody ever thought of the pan-democrats could win such a landslide victory in a local election.
Especially when it occurred in a context where the movement is on a decline: the police has been laying a siege on the Polytechnic University since last week, and despite several dozens of protestors still refuse to give themselves up there is little they or their supporters outside can do.
The victory in the election surely boosts the morale of the opposition in general thus neutralizes the demoralization effect of the defeat in two universities. Today more than sixty newly elected district board members went to the gate of the university to express solidarity with the protestors inside is also an encouraging scene.
Au Loong Yu