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Asia

The Latest: Voter turnout in Hong Kong polls 7.12 percent

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying votes at a polling station for the legislative council election Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016. Polls opened in Hong Kong Sunday for the specially administered Chinese city's most crucial election since the handover from Britain in 1997. The vote for lawmakers in the Legislative Council is also the first since 2014 pro-democracy street protests rocked the Asian financial hub. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) (The Associated Press)

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    People queue at a polling station to vote for the legislative council election, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016. Polls opened in Hong Kong Sunday for the specially administered Chinese city's most crucial election since the handover from Britain in 1997. The vote for lawmakers in the Legislative Council is also the first since 2014 pro-democracy street protests rocked the Asian financial hub. AP Photo/Vincent Yu) (The Associated Press)

HONG KONG – The Latest on elections in Hong Kong (all times local):

12: 25 a.m.

Three hours after polls opened in Hong Kong's legislative elections, 7.12 percent of registered voters have turned out.

According to government statistics, that's little below 7.48 percent in 2012 but over 5.66 percent in 2008 legislative elections.

The vote for Legislative Council lawmakers is the first major election since 2014 pro-democracy street protests rocked the Asian financial hub, and the outcome could pave the way for a fresh round of political confrontations over Beijing's control of the city.

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11:20 a.m.

Hong Kong's government says about 3.7 percent of 3.8 million registered voters turned out two hours after the polls opened.

The city's widely unpopular Beijing-backed leader, Leung Chun-ying, cast his ballot earlier Sunday and urged the public to turn out and vote.

At stake is the power to keep Leung and his government in check.

Pro-democracy lawmakers currently control 27 of 70 seats in the Legislative Council, compared with 43 held by lawmakers friendly to Beijing. The democrats are fighting to keep control of at least a third of the seats, which gives them veto power to block government attempts to enact unpopular legislation, such as Beijing's controversial election revamp that triggered the 2014 street protests.

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8:15 a.m.

Voting is underway in Hong Kong's legislative election, the first since 2014 pro-democracy street protests rocked the Asian financial hub.

At stake is the power to keep the city's pro-Beijing leader and his government in check.

The pro-democracy camp currently controls 27 of 70 seats, and must keep at least a third of the seats to retain veto power.

The election is set to test the unity of the pro-democracy camp as a new generation of radical activists who emerged after the protests compete with moderate mainstream parties to challenge formidable pro-Beijing rivals.