According to official data on Monday, 27.5 per cent of the city`s 4.3 million registered voters cast ballots in Sunday`s polls, significantly less than the record 71.2 per cent who participated in the last elections held at the height of anti-government protests in 2019

The pro-democracy camp won those polls in a landslide victory, in a clear rebuke of the government`s handling of the protests

Beijing loyalists are expected to take control of the district councils after Sunday`s elections, with results showing big pro-government parties winning most directly elected seats

The district councils, which primarily handle municipal matters such as organising construction projects and public facilities, were Hong Kong`s last major political bodies mostly chosen by the public

But under new electoral rules introduced under a Beijing order that only "patriots" should administer the city, candidates must secure endorsements from at least nine members of government-appointed committees that are mostly packed with Beijing loyalists, making it virtually impossible for any pro-democracy candidates to run

An amendment passed in July also slashed the proportion of directly elected seats from about 90 per cent to about 20 per cent

Many prominent pro-democracy activists have also been arrested or have fled the territory after Beijing imposed a harsh national security law in response to the 2019 protests

Critics say the low voter turnout reflects the public sentiment toward the "patriots" only system and the government`s crackdown on dissent. The previous record low for participation in the council elections since the handover to Chinese rule was 35.8 per cent in 1999