Hong Kong elections: city leader Carrie Lam says low voter turnout ‘does not mean anything’, may indicate good governance

‘When the administration is doing well … voter turnout will decrease because the people do not have a strong impetus to choose different lawmakers,’ Lam says

Observers are anticipating low voter participation in the coming Legislative Council election, which the mainstream opposition has boycotted

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Banners tout the coming 2021 Legislative Council election along Nathan Road in Mong Kok. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 7:28pm, 8 Dec 2021Updated: 9:51pm, 8 Dec 2021

A low voter turnout widely expected at this month’s Legislative Council election will “not mean anything”, Hong Kong’s leader has said, arguing that it may instead indicate public satisfaction with good governance.

Observers, pollsters and even the candidates themselves are anticipating low voter participation in the December 19 Legco election, which the mainstream opposition has boycotted following Beijing’s overhaul of the city’s political system to ensure only “patriots” wielded power.

But in her interview with the Global Times on Wednesday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor insisted that if voter participation was indeed low, it could be because the public was satisfied with their existing government.

“There is a saying from the government in the old days that when the administration is doing well and its credibility is high, the voter turnout will decrease because the people do not have a strong impetus to choose different lawmakers to supervise the government,” she said. “Therefore, I think the turnout rate does not mean anything.”

Though the government would continue to encourage voters to exercise their civil rights, she added, whether they did or not was of no great concern.