Lam on Beijing reaction to HK election

Lam said that she hoped the recent calm would continue and resorting to violence will not give the way forward. Her comments follow the victory by the pro-democracy opposition in Sunday's district council elections.

Hong Kong: Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam said the central government in Beijing did not blame her for Hong Kong's election outcome, in which the pro-democracy bloc won a landslide victory.

She has urged the residents to work together to end the months of violence.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Lam said she hoped the recent calm would continue and "resorting to violence will not give us that way forward."

Her comments follow the victory by the pro-democracy opposition in Sunday's district council elections, which occurred amid months of protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

Nearly 3 million voters cast their ballot in a record turnout for an election that was viewed as a barometer of public support for more than five months of pro-democracy protests.

The pro-democracy party took 90 per cent of the seats and control of 17 out of 18 district councils.

The result of Sunday’s elections could force the central government in Beijing to rethink how to handle the unrest, which is now in its sixth month.

Lam also said the elections went smoothly and were done in an orderly manner.

The district councils have little power, but the vote became a referendum on public support for the protests.

The government's refusal to compromise despite the election outcome could spark fresh unrest at a time when the semi-autonomous Chinese territory has plunged into its first recession in a decade.