Pro-democracy candidates win big in Hong Kong

Hong Kong residents chanted, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution now,” as results from local elections came in on Sunday. Pro-democracy opposition candidates won a landslide victory, gaining control of 17 of 18 district councils and winning nearly 90 percent of the 452 seats. An unprecedented 71 percent of 4.1 million voters in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory participated, compared to 47 percent in the last local election.

Why the huge turnout? Members of the district councils have limited powers, but protesters used the polls to push their campaign. The election marked the first weekend since August without any major protests. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said her government would abide by the election outcome and “listen humbly” to the people’s opinions.

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s reporting from the protests in her Snapshots of China journal.