Violence hurts HK election, democracy

The Hong Kong District Council Election on Sunday was the sixth of its kind since the special administrative region's return to the motherland, with 1,090 candidates running for 452 seats in the local councils of 18 districts. Both the huge voter turnout and the intense competition are unprecedented, which acquire added importance against the backdrop of months-long violent demonstrations that have undermined the city's image as one ruled by law and sharpened the social divide.

At the lowest echelon of the SAR government, district councils are local consultative and advisory bodies without independent financial and legislative power. A district council advises the government on daily community affairs including municipal work and local transportation, such as bus stops and traffic lights, and reviews government funds allocated to the district.

Besides, six seats in the Legislative Council and 117 in the Electoral Committee, which is responsible for electing the chief executive, are reserved for district council members. But ignoring the real purpose of the local council - which is to serve the community in order to make Hong Kong a better place - the opposition camp has put politics on top. It used the election as a political tool, turning it into a battlefield to meet its ulterior political motives.