Hong Kong holds Legislative Council election in wake of deadliest fire in decades

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Hong Kong on Sunday began voting for the eighth-term Legislative Council election, days after the special administrative region's deadliest fire in decades that killed 159 people.

Long lines formed outside many polling stations before voting started at 7.30 am local time (2330GMT Saturday).

The new Legislative Council term will consist of 90 members, including 40 elected by the Election Committee, 30 by functional constituencies, and 20 elected through direct elections in geographical constituencies. A total of 161 candidates are running.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu cast his vote at Raimondi College on Robinson Road. Speaking to the press, Lee urged all eligible voters to participate, emphasizing that each vote represents a step toward reform and a collective effort for progress.

The government said voting would end at 11.30 pm (1530GMT Sunday), with over 600 polling stations serving approximately 4.13 million registered voters.

The eighth-term Legislative Council will begin its four-year term on Jan. 1, 2026.

Earlier, the chief executive said the election would go ahead on Sunday as scheduled, despite earlier speculation that it could be postponed due to the fire.

Hong Kong saw the worst fire in decades on Nov. 26 in Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court area, which continued for 43 hours, engulfing seven residential blocks, including more than 1,900 apartments.