An uneasy calm settled over Hong Kong as the city prepared to go to the polls for local elections seen as a referendum on months of anti-government protests
HONG KONG - An uneasy calm settled over Hong Kong on Saturday as the city prepared to go to the polls for local elections seen as a referendum on months of anti-government protests, after weeks of especially violent clashes between police and demonstrators.
The city is under tight security as a record 1,104 people gear up to run for 452 district council seats in Sunday’s elections. Asked about the report, the police department would say only that it had been liaising with other departments to provide assistance, arrange “appropriate police force”, and ensure that the election was carried out smoothly and in an orderly manner.At a Chinese People’s Liberation Army barracks that borders Polytechnic University, meanwhile, dozens of soldiers in riot gear were seen practicing drills, according to a Reuters witness.
The protests snowballed from June after years of resentment over what many residents see as Chinese meddling in freedoms promised to Hong Kong when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. One pro-democracy candidate for the Wan Chai district council, Chris Chan, said the election would reflect public opinion after the upheaval of recent months.
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