A computer system failure added last-minute drama to the municipal-level poll two hours before polling was supposed to finish on Sunday, prompting Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to set up a task force to look into the matter.

Regular hourly reporting on turnout numbers was disrupted following the glitch, with authorities only announcing the final figure almost eight hours after polling ended, breaking from usual practice. The data released on Monday morning showed that 1,193,193 people – or 27.54 per cent of registered electors – had voted, the lowest participation rate on record since the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997.

Hong Kong election body under fire over computer system failure in district poll

Despite the low turnout, Beijing and its local offices offered their congratulations to winning candidates, saying the poll was important in implementing the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong”.

The State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said residents had turned out to vote and counter the “smearing” of the poll.

“The district councils have restored their proper nature and functions, freeing the election from politicisation, populism and pragmatically focusing on solving real problems in the community,” the office’s statement said. “Residents can deeply feel that the elections are related to their interests and that this is real, functioning democracy.”

A closer look at polling data showed that among those who voted, 22,045 residents cast blank or invalid ballots, representing 1.85 per cent of the overall figure, while the rate was 0.56 per cent four years ago.

The turnout for Sunday’s poll was a sharp drop from the 71.23 per cent recorded in the last district council election in 2019 held at the height of the anti-government protests, when the opposition bloc scored a landslide victory.

The Legislative Council election revamped under the “patriots-only” rule in 2021 logged a turnout rate of 30.20 per cent.

The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office also spelled out five expectations for those elected in the municipal-level poll, including putting more effort into implementing the “one country, two systems” governing principle, resolving conflicts, doing practical things for residents, uniting society and fulfilling their duties.

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District council polls overhaul: Hong Kong’s latest step towards ‘patriots-only’ governance

District council polls overhaul: Hong Kong’s latest step towards ‘patriots-only’ governance

The Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government and the liaison office in Hong Kong joined in the praise of the “fair and open” election for putting the city back on the right track.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu acknowledged the final turnout figures and said in a statement that the “high-quality” election “fully shows our excellent election culture and highlights the revamped district council system as being far superior”.

“The election is intense and all constituencies face competition. Candidates must work hard to canvass votes and win over each other through ideas, achievements, performance and whether they can pragmatically solve problems for the public,” he said.

The city leader earlier said he was “highly concerned” about the computer system failure and had requested the task force set up for the incident to submit a report in three months.

Hong Kong logs record low 27.5% turnout for district council election

Electoral Affairs Commission chairman Mr Justice David Lok Kai-hong on Monday apologised for the system glitch, becoming emotional when saying he felt guilty towards staff for the work they had done and indicated he was willing to be held responsible.

“We have to be responsible and follow up and investigate [what went wrong],” Lok said.

Voting was extended by 90 minutes following the glitch and continued until midnight while counting of the 1.19 million ballots began shortly after at the more than 600 polling stations.

About 4.3 million registered voters were eligible to cast ballots for 88 directly elected seats, out of 470 in total. The city leader chooses 179 others, local committees decide another 176 and rural leaders hold the remaining 27 seats.

Will Beijing be happy with turnout for Hong Kong district council election?

Veteran politician Tam Yiu-chung, who formerly served as the city’s sole delegate to the nation’s top legislative body, insisted the voter turnout was “reasonable”.

Since the social environment had stabilised, voters had less motivation to vote as they knew all candidates were patriotic, Tam told a radio show on Monday morning.

“If authorities do not promote the elections enough, voters will not understand the new system and may not participate,” he said. “The promotional activities can help increase public awareness and improve the election atmosphere.”

The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong emerged as the biggest winner in Sunday’s poll, securing 109, or 40 per cent, of the 264 seats up for grabs.

The Federation of Trade Unions secured the second-highest number of seats, with 27 of its 46 candidates winning.

The New People’s Party and the Business and Professionals Alliance took 15 and 12 seats, respectively.