The opposition camp hopes to take a historic majority in parliament, through careful coordination to avoid dividing the vote in favor of democracy, and by advancing across functional constituencies, seats elected by business and professional groups that make up half of the legislature.
This would be a difficult task at best, and the government has already hinted that it can potentially ban dozens of candidates from those elections under the new security law, which criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces.
“The Hong Kong people have made history again,” said Benny Tai, one of the organizers, after the polls ended on Sunday night. “The people of Hong Kong have demonstrated to the world, and also to the authorities, that we have not given up to fight for democracy.”
“Those who have organized, planned or participated in the primary elections should avoid carelessly breaking the law,” he said.
Late Friday night, police raided the offices of the Public Opinion Research Institute, a polling company that was helping to organize the primary elections. Organizers denounced the measure as an attempt to disrupt the vote or intimidate people, while police said it was related to advice on possible hacked data.
However, the police raid may have helped publicize the primary election, with news of the event circulating throughout the city.
“I was wondering if it would be the last time I participated in such a primary,” Kitty Yau told the newspaper. “But I am not afraid of any ‘white terror’, since I am only exercising my rights.”
Security law
There has been a marked cooling in city politics since the passage of the security law, which was directly enforced by Beijing, without going through the Hong Kong legislature.
In the hours after its enactment, several political parties dissolved, including one founded by prominent activist Joshua Wong. Online, people cleaned up social media profiles and deleted accounts, and asked contacts to delete WhatsApp messages from them. Stores and restaurants that had been supporters of the anti-government protest movement could be seen hastily removing the posters, for fear of being prosecuted under the new law.
While the government has repeatedly insisted that the law will only affect a small minority of Hong Kong people and that it is necessary to protect national security, it has met with widespread opposition both in the city and abroad.
There remains considerable uncertainty around the law, and many groups within the city that are not directly targeted by it (NGOs, media organizations, and companies) are waiting to see how it can affect them.
“The uncertainty of the regulations is a little worrisome and the current conflict between the United States and China,” said one interviewee. “This could lead to a situation where China arrests people for political reasons.”
About 68% of respondents said they had become more concerned with the law as the details emerged, with one respondent saying “vague language makes the law a perfect tool for the rule of law, and it is already generating the kind of self-censorship that is so effective in stifling public discourse in China. “
Respondents said their main concerns about the law were its ambiguity and its possible effect on the independence of the judiciary, and a large majority, 52%, said they might consider leaving Hong Kong as a result of the law.
CNN’s Eric Cheung contributed reporting.
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