Radical democrats have gained a foothold in elections in Hong Kong in a development that is likely to rile China. 

Yesterday's election saw a record voter turnout which helped usher in a younger crop of democrats and helped the group retain their one-third veto bloc in the 70 seat legislative council.

Former student protest leader and newly elected lawmaker Nathan Law said: 

"Well in these four years there has been a drastic change in the political spectrum of Hong Kong. I believe that in this election result, it also reflects it. So that means we have to work harder. Try to unite different camps because as you can see I still believe that we have to be united in order to have a stronger power to fight against the Communist Party. So one of my hopes is that we could work together for those who uphold self-determination and those who stand for democratic values."

This was the first election since the 2014 student-led "Umbrella Revolution" in which thousands of demonstrators brought the city's financial center to a standstill.

Demonstrators were calling for less interference and more political autonomy from the mainland but were ultimately thwarted by Beijing backed police.

The former British colony was handed back to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" agreement in which Beijing ultimately has control.