Developing | Record turnout for Hong Kong's district council elections; two pan-democratic big guns out, three new pro-Occupy candidates win

Voters turned out in record numbers in Sunday's District Council elections, scoring a historic turnout rate of 47 per cent and early results saw two veteran pro-democracy lawmakers defeated and at least three candidates inspired by last year's Occupy protests scored unexpected victories.

Of the 3.12 million eligible to vote in the contested constituencies, some 47 per cent cast their ballots by the time voting closed at 10.30 pm. The turnout surpassed the previous record of 44 per cent who voted in the district council elections of 2003, held after a 500,000-strong anti-government march that year.

In early results that came in before 1.30 am, two pro-democracy super seat lawmakers Albert Ho Chun-yan and Frederick Fung Kin-kee were unseated by newcomers, while another pro-democracy figure James To Kun-sun kept his seat and became the only one of the three pro-democracy super seat lawmakers to be able to seek a re-election in the same Legco sector next year.

Fung won 2,432 votes, 99 short of won by his challenger, 25-year-old Chan Wing-yan, who is linked to both the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and the Federation of Trade Unions.

Fung’s former ally Eric Wong Chung-ki, who also stood against him in the same constituency, won 215 votes.

Fung has demanded a re-count, while Ho admitted defeat before an official announcement.