Central gov't lauds HKSAR's District Council election for consolidating social foundation for prosperity

The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council published an article on Monday to extend congratulations on the successful holding of the 7th District Council Ordinary Election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

Noting that this election was the first of its kind since the HKSAR reformed its District Council (DC) system, the article said the election marked another important practice of fully implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and will inject a powerful impetus into the consolidation of the social foundation for Hong Kong to achieve further prosperity.

Results of the election were unveiled on Monday, with 176 district committees constituency councillors and 88 geographical constituency councillors elected.

Over 1.19 million geographical constituency electors participated in the election, the voting and vote-counting processes operated smoothly in general, and all election arrangements were able to fully reflect the principles of transparency, honesty and fairness, said David Lok, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission when meeting the press on Monday morning.

The new term DCs will be composed of appointed, district committees constituency, district council geographical constituency and ex-officio members. The total number of district councillors will be 470.

The newly elected DC members will begin their four-year term on January 1, 2024.

A powerful impetus for Hong Kong's prosperity

The new DC system effectively prevents anti-China troublemakers from entering the DCs, completely ending the schemes of anti-China troublemakers and the external forces backing them to seize control of the HKSAR through the electoral path, the article said.

The new DC system, from multiple aspects, explores a whole-process and orderly democratic path that aligns with the reality of Hong Kong, better safeguarding the interests and promoting the well-being of the people, it said.

The election was fair, just, enthusiastic and orderly, the article stated, adding that the HKSAR government organized the election following laws and regulations.

It added that political organizations, societies and individuals actively stood for the election. Candidates campaigned actively to seek support.

More than 1.19 million voters took part in the election, countering the smears and denigration against the election with concrete actions.

The candidates come from different political organizations, societies, and walks of life, with more diversified and professional backgrounds and younger ages, it said.

Lauding the election as one that builds consensus, the article said that the Hong Kong society has further realized that the pitfalls of the 2019 turmoil must not be revisited and the chaos in the previous DCs must not be repeated.

The Hong Kong society has also realized that the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" must be fully implemented, and democracy in Hong Kong must be developed in line with its realities, the article said.

Furthermore, it has realized that the confidence in "One Country, Two Systems" must be strengthened, and Hong Kong's unique position and advantages must be given full play to create a better future for the region.

The article expressed the hope and belief that the newly elected DC members are ready to take on responsibilities, strive to fulfill their duties, and be role models of loving both the country and Hong Kong with concrete actions.

It wished for a smooth running of the new term DCs, which will jointly promote steady and rapid progress toward Hong Kong's prosperity under the leadership of the HKSAR government.

Opening new chapter in district governance

The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR on Monday congratulated the newly elected DC.

The office said it believes that the new term DCs will live up to the support of all sectors of society and the expectations of voters, return to the positioning that DCs are not organs of political power as stipulated in the HKSAR Basic Law, build a bridge of communication between the HKSAR government and the public, and open up the "last mile" for the HKSAR to improve its governance system and enhance its governance capacity and effectiveness.

A spokesperson for the office said the HKSAR government organized elections in strict accordance with the law, actively and orderly carried out various electoral affairs, and fully demonstrated the new style of governance of "being able to take responsibility and act well."

The majority of voters fulfilled their civic duties in accordance with the law, especially when encountering an electronic poll register system failure and the voting waiting time was extended, they were still patient and active in voting, expressing their firm support for the new DC system, and their expectations for building a better community and achieving good governance, the spokesperson said.

The 399 candidates have diverse backgrounds, including young talents from the post-90s generation, senior professional elites, local people with roots in the community for decades of service, and new immigrants and ethnic minority business people who regard Hong Kong as their new home.

The spokesperson pointed out that the election has completely excluded anti-China rioters from the HKSAR governance system, effectively implemented the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," and opened a new chapter in district governance of the HKSAR.

The office is full of expectations that the new term DCs will devote themselves to providing services at the grassroots level, collecting and reflecting public opinion, promoting and implementing the government's policy initiatives, and enhancing the capacity for district governance.

The office is also fully confident about the developing democracy with Hong Kong characteristics under the new electoral system and realizing good governance under "One Country, Two Systems."

Building strong barrier to safeguard national security

The Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR on Monday also extended warm congratulations on the successful holding of the election, vowing to keep building a strong barrier to safeguard national security jointly with the HKSAR and to ensure comprehensive implementation of the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle.  

In a statement, the office said the election has opened a new chapter for Hong Kong in improving governance system and enhancing governance efficiency, consolidating Hong Kong's favorable momentum in turning for the better since restoring order from chaos.

During the period of nearly half a year from the HKSAR government's announcement of reform proposals to the bill's adoption by the HKSAR Legislative Council (LegCo) and the final successful holding of the election, the overall political and social situation in Hong Kong has remained stable, said the office.

The office said the election, which thoroughly eliminated previous disorderly election practices, has bid farewell to the vicious divisive rivalry and cultivated a culture of reasoned and constructive elections.

Results of the election fully demonstrate that, with continued improvements to the "One Country, Two Systems" institutional mechanism and safeguarding and guiding Hong Kong's democratic development back on track with the Hong Kong national security law, Hong Kong is emerging from the quagmire of politicization and the whole Hong Kong society has reached the broadest consensus for stability and unity, said the statement.

Noting that all attempts to interfere or sabotage DC elections and Hong Kong's democratic development are doomed to fail, the office said that neither anti-China disruptors nor external interfering forces can stop the HKSAR's determined stride toward further implementation of the executive-led system, improvement of the governance system, and seeking new development and new leaps through good governance.

(With input from Xinhua)