Just under a third of Hong Kong's registered voters went to the polls on Sunday to choose new lawmakers under Beijing's"patriots only" rules, with some urging candidates to help with government relief efforts after the city's deadliest fire in decades.

Beijing revamped Hong Kong's electoral system in 2021 following the city's huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests. This year's turnout rate reached 31.9 percent, surpassing the 30.2 percent in the 2021 election, the first held under the new system. It was much lower than before the electoral changes, when turnout topped 50 percent.

Even before the 2021 electoral changes, only half of what had been a 70-member legislature was chosen by the general electorate.

Hong Kong heads to the polls for legislative elections after deadly fire

Now, that has been reduced to 20 out of 90 seats and 40 others are chosen by a largely pro-Beijing election committee. The remaining 30 represent various groups – mainly major industries such as finance, healthcare and real estate – and are elected by their members.

Initial figures showed on Sunday that while fewer people had cast their ballots, the turnout percentage was marginally higher due to a smaller overall voter population.

The government launched a major campaign to drive up turnout, adding polling stations, extending voting hours and holding candidate forums.

'Patriot's only'

But political campaigning was interrupted in late November after a blaze tore through the housing blocks of Wang Fuk Court in northern Hong Kong, killing at least 159 people.

A woman surnamed Poon, whose home went up in flames, said the fire must be"thoroughly investigated", adding that the next batch of lawmakers"should monitor the government".

"Whoever is at fault must be held responsible," Poon told AFP outside the polling station closest to the charred buildings.

Kitty Lau, a woman in her 60s who witnessed the fire from her home, said she was still grieving, adding that the government needed to listen to diverse voices in the tragedy's aftermath.

"Some of the voices from opposition factions, as long as they love the country and love Hong Kong, should be given an opportunity to speak," Lau told AFP.

At the start of the day, Hong Kong leader John Lee again urged the public to head to the polls.

"(Your) vote represents a vote that pushes forward reform, and a vote to protect those affected by the disaster," Lee told reporters after casting his ballot.

The government will propose a bill at the first meeting of the new Legislative Council to discuss relief and rebuilding efforts.

Lee had earlier announced a judge-led"independent committee" to investigate the fire, which devastated seven apartment blocks undergoing renovations.

Jacky Lam, a 56-year-old teacher who lived in the affected Tai Po district, said the government's top priority should be proper resettlement.

"(Lawmakers) ought to regularly meet with residents and collect their views," Lam added.

Hong Kong's anti-corruption watchdog announced that it had arrested four people on Sunday for telling others not to vote or to cast invalid ballots, with a total of 11 people arrested so far on those grounds.

Turnout in spotlight

Legislature elections in Hong Kong used to feature boisterous clashes between pro-Beijing and pro-democracy camps, with the latter often winning around 60 percent of the popular vote.

But Beijing overhauled Hong Kong's electoral system in 2021 to ensure only"patriots" could hold office, and slashed the number of directly elected seats.

Some pro-democracy lawmakers have been jailed – including as part of a subversion case that concluded last year – while others resigned or fled Hong Kong.

Sunday's race featured 161 government-vetted candidates, and was once again be devoid of the two largest pro-democracy parties: the Civic Party disbanded in 2023 and the Democratic Party, which is winding down.

Around a third of the outgoing cohort of lawmakers, including veterans such as Regina Ip and legislature president Andrew Leung, are not seeking another four-year term.

Newcomers include Olympic champion fencer Vivian Kong, who is contesting a seat in the tourism functional constituency – where the winner is determined by industry representatives, not popular vote.

Fire-related arrests

Police have arrested at least 15 people from various construction companies as part of their probe into the fire.

Authorities have also warned against crimes that"exploit the tragedy" and have reportedly arrested at least three people for sedition in the fire's aftermath.

Police announced on Saturday an additional arrest of a 71-year-old man, for"prejudicing a national security investigation" – the first such arrest in Hong Kong – as well as for sedition.

China's national security agency in Hong Kong summoned representatives from international media, including AFP and the Associated Press, for a meeting on Saturday to warn them"not cross the legal red line" during their coverage of the fire and the election.

Some foreign media had spread false information and smeared the government's disaster relief efforts after the fire, as well as attacked and interfered with the legislative elections, the Office for Safeguarding National Security said in a statement.

“No media outlet may use ‘freedom of the press’ as a pretext to interfere in China’s internal affairs or Hong Kong affairs,” the statement said.