A new crop of radical activists are challenging both pro-Beijing rivals and Hong Kong’s mainstream pro-democracy parties for seats in the Legislative Council. A new crop of radical activists are challenging both pro-Beijing rivals and Hong Kong’s mainstream pro-democracy parties for seats in the Legislative Council, or Legco. Some of the more radical candidates want Hong Kong-focused localism and others desire full autonomy. Pro-democracy candidates agree on the need for direct elections for Hong Kong’s top leader, currently hand-picked by a committee of mostly pro-Beijing elites. Chinese communist leaders had promised to allow elections but insisted on screening out unfriendly candidates, a stance that sparked the 2014 protests and left Hong Kong’s democratic development in limbo.

Source: Washington Post September 03, 2016 02:48 UTC