• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Hong Kong Rejects China-backed Electoral Reforms

by VOA News June 18, 2015

Hong Kong lawmakers have overwhelmingly rejected a controversial, Beijing-backed electoral reform package that had divided the territory's opposition and pro-government forces.

Camps of pro-democracy protesters erupted in cheers Thursday after opposition lawmakers united to defeat the bill. Just 8 lawmakers voted for the legislation, while 28 voted against it.

"We used our sacred vote today to veto a fake universal suffrage proposal,” said Civic Party leader Alan Leong. "We helped the Hong Kong people send a clear message to Beijing that we want real choice."

The reform would have for the first time allowed Hong Kongers to vote for their top leader, but all candidates would have needed to be approved pro-Beijing committee.

China has argued the new proposals were more democratic than anything that existed under more than a century of British colonial rule that ended in 1997.

Pro-democracy activists -- many of whom mounted large-scale protests against the measures last year -- say Beijing's proposed vetting process is not democratic enough and did not adequately fulfill a promise to allow universal suffrage by 2017.

The bill's defeat means Hong Kong's top leader, the chief executive, will continue to be chosen by an election committee. Beijing has said it is not open to granting any further level of self-rule to the territory.

China has not reacted to the resounding defeat of the bill, which raises questions over how much support exists for Beijing in the territory's 70-member legislature.

In a baffling move just minutes before the vote, many pro-government legislators walked out of the chamber. They later blamed a miscommunication, saying they were trying to delay the ballot so a fellow lawmaker who was ill could cast his vote.

Some opposition members were not convinced, including Democratic Party lawmaker Emily Lau, who called the move "farcical."

"Those people who were not present in the chamber were supposed to be assisting in running Hong Kong, but if you look at their farcical behavior you can't help but feel sorry for Hong Kong," she said.

Although the bill's rejection is seen as a victory for the opposition, there are concerns the stalemate could result in a new phase of political instability. Last year, weeks of opposition protests brought tens of thousands of Hong Kongers on the street to demand "full democracy."

Security is heavier than usual in the Chinese territory after police this week seized a stash of chemicals and arrested 10 people, six of whom have been charged with conspiracy to cause an explosion.

Officials have said little about the alleged bomb plot, which some opposition activists suspect is an attempt to smear a pro-democracy movement that has been overwhelmingly peaceful.