Overview
- Election officials reported 1.317 million votes from 4.1 million registered voters, the second-lowest participation in the city’s history at 31.9%.
- The ballot operated under rules allowing only pre-vetted patriots to run, with 20 of 90 seats directly elected, 40 chosen by a pro-Beijing committee, and 30 by industry groups.
- Chief Executive John Lee urged residents to vote and announced a judges-led commission to examine the blaze that killed more than 150 people.
- Police and anti-corruption authorities widened probes into suspected safety and graft failures, arresting 15 people on negligent homicide suspicion and six over possible fraud, with the cause still under investigation.
- Authorities tightened controls around dissent and coverage, detaining activists including a 24-year-old who pushed a petition, warning foreign media, arresting 11 people over alleged online boycott calls, and clearing a large flower memorial from a park near the site.