Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee has welcomed the results of Sunday's district council elections, describing them as the last piece of the puzzle in implementing the principle of 'patriots' ruling the city.

The district councils are now almost fully dominated by China loyalists as pro-democracy candidates were barred from the votes.

Rules for electing Hong Kong's leader and members of the Legislative Council have been changed in the past in favor of pro-Beijing candidates.

Lee told reporters on Tuesday that new electoral rules were introduced so that only patriots would administer Hong Kong, ensuring that those who betray the state and foreign agents cannot participate in its governance.

He stressed that this is necessary for Hong Kong's long-term stability.

Hong Kong authorities carried out a large-scale campaign to boost voter turnout, and arrested six people for allegedly calling for a boycott of the elections.

But the turnout was just 27.5 percent -- the lowest since Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Without referring to the mass abstentions, Lee expressed satisfaction that nearly 1.2 million people voted, saying they have shown that they love Hong Kong and their districts.