*with AFP/agencies

Polls opened in Hong Kong’s first “patriots only” district council election on Sunday, with officials dismissing concerns of potentially low turnout.

The previous election was held at the peak of the huge, often violent, anti-government protests in 2019, recording a historic high of 71 percent turnout and delivering a landslide victory for the opposition camp.

The neighbouring SAR authorities overhauled the councils’ composition earlier this year. According to new rules announced in May, seats for direct election were reduced from 462 to 88, with the remaining 382 seats comprising members of three government-appointed committees, appointed members, and ex-officio members.

Candidates were required to seek nominations from the three government-appointed committees. No candidates from opposition-linked groups secured the green light to run, and over 70 percent of the directly elected candidates are committee members.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee stated that this year’s election was “the last piece of the puzzle to implement the principle of patriots ruling Hong Kong.” He added, “From now on, the district councils would no longer be what they were in the past — a platform to destruct and reject the government’s administration, to promote Hong Kong independence, and to endanger national security.” Lee made these remarks after casting his ballot on Sunday.

The councillors for Hong Kong’s 18 districts primarily handle local-level issues such as sanitation, transport routes, or the adequacy of public facilities.

The League of Social Democrats, an opposition group, reported on Sunday that three of their members were arrested in Hong Kong’s Central district during a protest against the election.