Hong Kong leader promises ‘open mind’ after local elections

Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam says the government will listen to the public with an open mind, after pro-beijing candidates were resoundingly defeated in local elections.

Local media say 17 of the 18 councils are now controlled by pro-democracy councillors.

The election saw an unprecedented voter turnout of more than 71%

The result is being seen as a stinging rebuke of Ms Lam’s leadership through many months of protest and clashes.

In a statement released online today, Ms Lam said the government respected the results.

She said there were various analyses and interpretations but that quite a few are of the view that the results reflect people’s dissatisfaction with the current situation and the deep-seated problems in society.