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HONG KONG (AP) — Cathy Yau remembers the first time she was called a “dirty cop” by Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters, days after police deployed tear gas to repel tens of thousands of black-clad demonstrators blocking the legislature.
The former officer, exasperated at the increasing use of force to quell the unrest, quit in July after 11 years.
Now she is among scores of new faces vying for office Sunday in citywide elections that have become a referendum on public support for the protests, which have disrupted life for more than five months.
“Some residents still call me a rogue cop but there are others who tell me to keep it up as they want a change this year,” said the 36-year-old Yau, who faces a tough battle against an incumbent who has served the constituency for years.
The election for the 452 seats on the city’s 18 district councils usually gets little attention but this year has shaped up as a pivotal battleground for protesters anxious to seize the ballot box to legitimize their cause.
For the first time, all the seats are contested in Hong Kong’s only fully democratic elections. The pro-democracy opposition hopes to win a decisive victory on the back of public anger against the government and police.
“The election this time serves as a political barometer. The pro-democracy camp certainly wants the results to demonstrate that its cause enjoys the support of the people to show to the world and to the Chinese leadership,” said Joseph Cheng, a pro-democracy political commentator. […]
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