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 The election of the so-called Umbrella Soldiers - named after the
2014 demonstrations in which activists used umbrellas to guard
against tear gas and pepper spray - reflects continued support for
political change in the Chinese-ruled city.
"The paratroopers are the new force," said James Sung, a political
analyst at the City University of Hong Kong, referring to candidates
inspired by the Umbrella movement. "The paratroopers are a new
power, a challenge to the government and the central authorities in
Beijing."
Results from Sunday's polls, which saw about 900 candidates compete
for 431 district council seats, where pro-Beijing parties currently
hold a majority, were announced on Monday.
"My greatest wish at this moment is to serve the community well,"
said Wong Chi-ken, 38, who took part in the protests and has been
referred to in local media as an Umbrella Soldier.
The election of candidates who took part in the protests now casts
them in a legitimate political light, in contrast to how they were
perceived by some during the demonstrations, which were deemed
illegal by the central government in Beijing.
District councillors wield little power, acting more in an advisory
role in which they can push forward policies, in particular
grass-roots concerns, for the government in the Chinese-controlled
city to consider.
But the poll results may provide insight into how elections for the
city's powerful Legislative Council, due next year, and a
controversial leadership poll in 2017 could pan out.
"The results show that the Umbrella Soldiers reflect the intention
or wishes of the youngsters," said political commentator Johnny Lau.
At least 40 candidates who took part in the democracy protests, or
were inspired by them, ran in the elections, local media reported.
Two democracy veterans lost their seats.
Democratic Party lawmaker and heavyweight Albert Ho, who faced stiff
competition in the gritty new town of Tuen Mun in the western New
Territories, lost his seat. So, too, did Frederick Fung, another
pan-democratic candidate who ran in the working-class district of
Sham Shui Po.
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On the pro-Beijing side, Chung Shu-kun of the pro-Beijing Democratic
Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong was unseated in a surprise
move after 21 years.
The mixed results from the elections, in which a record number of
people voted, will not significantly change the numerical make-up of
pro-democracy and pro-government groups.
The 79-day demonstrations last year, when activists streamed on to
highways to demand full democracy for the former British colony,
became the biggest political challenge to Beijing's Communist Party
leaders in years.
The protests failed to persuade China to allow a fully democratic
vote in 2017. Beijing says city voters have to choose from a list of
candidates it has approved if they want a vote.
Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two
systems" formula that gives it substantial autonomy and freedoms,
with universal suffrage promised as an "ultimate goal".
(Additional reporting by Venus Wu, Diana Chan, Stella Tang, Teenie
Ho and Kalum Chen; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by
Michael Perry)
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