Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong citizens queued to cast ballots over the weekend in what the Chinese-ruled city’s opposition camp says is a symbolic protest vote against tough national security laws directly imposed by Beijing.
NEARLY 500,000 PEOPLE VOTED
The unofficial poll will decide the strongest pro-democracy candidates to contest Legislative Council elections in September, when they aim to ride a wave of anti-China sentiment stirred by the law to seize control for the first time from pro-Beijing rivals.
Long queues formed down streets, in residential estates and at businesses-turned-polling stations, with people casting an online ballot on their mobile phones after having their identities verified.
Organisers said 500,000 people had voted by late afternoon on Sunday, in the city of 7.5 million. The full turnout is expected to be announced on Monday morning after two full days of voting this weekend.