The government of Hong Kong will "seriously reflect" and listen to the opinions of the public "humbly" in the wake of the results for the city's district council election, Chief Executive Carrie Lam has announced in a statement.

Additionally, the government will also respect the election results, which saw saw pro-democracy candidates sweep up 392 out of 452 seats, and clinch 17 out of 18 district councils, which were previously under pro-establishment control.

With regard to why the results had such an outcome, Lam simply stated:

"There are various analyses and interpretations in the community in relation to the results, and quite a few are of the view that the results reflect people's dissatisfaction with the current situation and the deep-seated problems in society."

Election was conducted in "difficult circumstances"

Lam further said that the election had been conducted in "difficult circumstances" as a result of the recent protests, which she labelled as "social incidents of recent months", and thanked the public for participating in the election.

She noted that a total of 2.94 million registered electors had cast their vote, which represented 71.2 per cent of all eligible voters.

It was her belief that the "vast majority" of the public desired the peaceful situation of the election to continue.

Aljazeera reported that the days leading up to the election were some of the most peaceful that the city had seen in months, with both the protesters and Hong Kong government calling for restraint and order.

Here is Lam's statement in full:

"A total of about 2.94 million registered electors cast their votes in the 2019 District Council election yesterday, representing a record high cumulative turnout rate of about 71.2 per cent. It shows that voters hoped to express their views through this election. I sincerely thank the public for their active participation in the District Council election.

This District Council election was conducted in very difficult circumstances due to the social incidents of recent months. I thank all candidates for their participation despite the challenges. The District Councils are an important component of our political system. Apart from reflecting views from the districts to the Government and contributing to the development of the communities, they also play a positive role in monitoring the provision of public services in the districts. With the sixth-term District Councils assuming office on January 1, 2020, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will strengthen co-operation with the District Councils to solve district problems which are of concern to the public. I would also like to thank the outgoing District Council members, many of whom have served in the relevant districts for many years and made tremendous contributions to the improvement of residents' lives.

In general, the election yesterday was held in a peaceful, safe and orderly manner. After the social unrest in the past five months, I firmly believe that the vast majority of the public would share my wish for the peaceful, safe and orderly situation to continue.

The HKSAR Government respects the election results. There are various analyses and interpretations in the community in relation to the results, and quite a few are of the view that the results reflect people's dissatisfaction with the current situation and the deep-seated problems in society. The HKSAR Government will listen to the opinions of members of the public humbly and seriously reflect.

I express my gratitude to the Electoral Affairs Commission and more than 30 000 civil servants for their hard work, enabling the smooth operation of the election."

Top photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images