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