HONG KONG: A new generation of young Hong Kong politicians advocating a break from Beijing looked set to become lawmakers for the first time Monday in the biggest poll since mass pro-democracy rallies in 2014.

A record 2.2 million people voted in the city-wide legislative election which ended in the early hours of Monday and saw activists who support Hong Kong’s independence from China standing for the first time.

It comes as fears grow that Beijing is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city in a range of areas, from politics to education and media.

In a landmark victory, at least three of a handful of young campaigners calling for much more distance from Beijing were forecast to win seats with 90 percent of the vote counted.

Among them is Nathan Law, 23, leader of the 2014 “Umbrella Movement” rallies, who is guaranteed a seat after coming second in his constituency behind a pro-Beijing candidate.

Law and his new party Demosisto are calling for a referendum on independence, emphasising Hong Kongers’ right to choose.

“I think Hong Kongers really wanted change,” Law said, celebrating his win.

“Young people have a sense of urgency when it comes to the future.”

Law will now take up a seat in the Legislative Council (LegCo), Hong Kong’s lawmaking body.

Most established pro-democracy politicians do not support the notion of independence and there were concerns in the democratic camp that new activists would split the vote, triggering overall losses.

If the democrats lose four seats, they will forfeit the one-third voting bloc they need to veto bills, stacking the already skewed legislature even more in favour of Beijing.

However, early results showed the democrats are likely to hold on to that veto power.

Beijing bias

 It is as good a result as the democrats could hope for, given that the framework of LegCo favours Beijing.

The structure of the council makes it almost impossible for the democracy camp to take a majority as 30 of the council’s 70 seats are elected by special interest groups representing a range of businesses and social sectors. Those seats go predominantly to pro-Beijing candidates.

Fears that Hong Kong’s freedoms are disappearing were fanned after five city booksellers known for salacious titles about Beijing politicians disappeared, resurfacing in detention on the mainland.

That fuelled the fire of the “localist” movement, which grew out of the failure of the 2014 rallies to win political reform pushing for more distance from Beijing.

It saw the emergence of young campaigners demanding outright independence for Hong Kong —a subject previously taboo.

Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” agreement intended to protect its freedoms and partial autonomy for 50 years. However, many young campaigners believe that deal has failed.

Pro-democracy campaigners with megaphones urged voters to get to the polls Sunday to prevent the LegCo swinging further towards Beijing.

At some polling stations there were snaking queues until until 2:30 am (1830 Sunday GMT) — four hours later than the scheduled cut-off time — with a turnout of almost 60 percent of 3.7 million voters.

That compares with 53 percent in the last LegCo elections in 2012. </s> Tensions were high as pro-democracy parties sought to maintain a majority of democratically elected seats in the Legislative Council that allows them to block certain legislation.

People were still voting at some polling stations at 2 a.m. local time Monday morning, three and half hours after the 10:30 p.m. deadline. The poll is the first major election since the financial center was rocked by pro-democracy street protests in 2014 -- also known as the "Umbrella Revolution."

More than 2.2 million people voted, according to the Electoral Affairs Commission, with a turnout of 58% -- up from 53% in 2012. Hong Kong does not permit postal voting or early voting.

suggest that a younger generation of more radical, pro-democracy politicians won a larger-than-expected share of votes. suggest that a younger generation of more radical, pro-democracy politicians won a larger-than-expected share of votes. Preliminary results suggest that a younger generation of more radical, pro-democracy politicians won a larger-than-expected share of votes. Nathan Law, one of the student leaders of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, has been elected on Hong Kong Island, according to preliminary results. His constituency elects six seats and he is currently in second place, with 90% of votes counted. Law co-founded Demosisto with activist Joshua Wong , who was unable to run as he is not yet 21. Law, 23, will be Hong Kong's youngest ever lawmaker. Speaking Sunday before the results, Wong told CNN he hoped the election would prove to be "fair." He said Hong Kong has faced an uptick in "political censorship" and the "suppression or interference with autonomy" since the 2014 protests. Other young former Umbrella Movement protesters also look set to win seats. Including Youngspirations' Sixtus Baggio Leung, who was endorsed by pro-independence activist Edward Leung. The latter Leung was one of several candidates controversially blocked from standing in this year's election Another Youngspiration candidate, Yau Wai-ching, is in a tight contest in the Kowloon West constituency. Should she win, all six lawmakers elected there will be women. Voters defied early predictions that turnout would be lower, with 400,000 more people voting than in 2012. Lines stretched around the block in certain districts, as many complained online of poorly staffed polling stations. In Tai Koo, on Hong Kong Island, voters were still lining up as of 2 a.m. local time Monday. Others went out of their way to ensure they would be able to take part. Post-graduate student Deryck Chan, 25, flew back from the UK to cast his vote. "I made sure to book my leave to coincide with the elections," he told CNN. </s> Two pro-independence legislators, Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung, from Youngspiration party expressed support for Hong Kong’s independence while taking oath in LegCo last month and used a derogatory term to describe Beijing.

In an unprecedented move, China on Monday passed a new controversial law to bar elected rebel lawmakers from taking office in Hong Kong in a bid to crush growing pro-independence movement in the former British colony.

The ruling passed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber stamp parliament, said elected members to Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) must swear allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China and those who changed their oath will be disqualified.

“When assuming office, the chief executive, principal officials, members of the executive council and of the legislative council, judges of courts at all levels and other members of the judiciary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region must, in accordance with law, swear to uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

And swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China,” NPC said issuing official interpretation basic law of article 104 of the Hong Kong’s Basic Law.

The clause stipulating “allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’ s Republic of China” is not only the legal content which must be included in the oath prescribed by the Article, but also the legal requirements and preconditions for standing for election in respect of or taking up the public office specified in the Article, the NPC ruling said.

This followed China facing major challenge to its political hold on the former British colony which was merged with the mainland in 1997 with certain privileges like freedom of expression which were not granted to Tibet and Xinjiang, though they are treated as Autonomous Regions for their distinct ethnic identities.

The pro-independence sentiments which had been brewing since 2014 over China’s insistence to screen candidates to contest the polls for the Chief Executive post snowballed into a political movement with some of the rebels getting elected to LegCo.

Two pro-independence legislators, Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung, from Youngspiration party expressed support for Hong Kong’s independence from China while taking oath in LegCo last month and used a derogatory term to describe Beijing.

China’s ruling may also call into question oath of three other pro-independence legislators.

Ms. Yau Wai-ching created a stir by laying out a banner with the word “Hong Kong is not China” before taking her first oath.

The two rebel legislators vowed to defend the “Hong Kong nation.”

Mr. Leung crossed his fingers while Ms. Yau used the F—word in her pledge.

Their actions followed by over a year anti-China protests and demonstrations in former British colony creating a piquant situation for Beijing over fears that an outright crackdown may alienate the SAR further.

This is the first time China made a decisive intervention to prevent situation from spiralling out of control. </s> Two Hong Kong independence advocates elected to the local legislature will not be allowed to retain their seats after a three-judge panel upheld an earlier ruling.

The rejection of an appeal made by Yau Wai-ching, 25, and Sixtus “Baggio” Leung, 30, who were elected to the Legislative Council in September, is the latest chapter in a weeks-long political firestorm, and comes after a heavy-handed intervention by Beijing, which is implacably opposed to separatism.

The High Court judges found unanimously that the two had, in effect, declined to take their oaths of office when they turned their inaugurations into a political demonstration. At the ceremony on Oct. 12, both Yau and Leung unfurled banners that stated that Hong Kong was not part of China, and departed from the prescribed oath by pledging allegiance to the “Hong Kong Nation” instead of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region of China.

“There is therefore no question of allowing them to retake the [Legislative Council] Oath,” wrote Justice Andrew Cheung in the ruling, adding that the vacation of their offices was “automatic.”

Neither Yau nor Leung showed up to hear the ruling, which comes after the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC), China’s rubber-stamp legislature, found against them in early November — at the same time as their actions were the subject of a judicial review brought by the Hong Kong government.

“As critics we can argue that it was improper for the NPCSC to intervene in a pending case but we could not expect the Court of Appeals to challenge that decision,” Michael Davis, a former law professor at the University of Hong Kong, tells TIME by email. The NPCSC, he says, “essentially foreclosed any chance the court would side with the two legislators.”

Both Yau and Leung were among the fresh faces elected as part of a local backlash against Chinese encroachment on the semiautonomous territory’s freedoms, and have been under constant attack from loyalist forces for the manner in which they attempted to take their oaths. Business in the chamber has ground to a halt for weeks as a result.

The burgeoning Hong Kong independence movement has meanwhile attracted the fury of the Chinese state. Speaking on Nov. 11 in Beijing, President Xi Jinping said, “All activities that intend to divide the country will certainly be firmly opposed by all Chinese people. We will never allow any one, any organization, any party to split off any tract of territory from China anytime, or in any way.”

On Tuesday, China’s top lawmaker, National People’s Congress chairman Zhang Dejiang, declared that “Hong Kong independence would bring calamity to the nation and its people.”

The High Court said Wednesday that it would hear applications for Yau and Leung’s appeal to the territory’s ultimate court, the Court of Final Appeal, on Thursday morning.

Contact us at editors@time.com. </s> The movement for greater autonomy from mainland China gained momentum Sunday in the most important election since the 1997 handover of Hong Kong from Britain.

Votes were still being tallied Monday morning, but it was already clear that five seats in the Legislative Council were won by young activists who entered politics after the pro-democracy street demonstrations of 2014 and campaigned on promises to stand up to Beijing. A total of 10 ran, not including six who were barred.

Voters turned out in record numbers, with 2.2 million people, or 58% of the electorate, casting ballots. Some polling stations remained open a few hours past the 10:30 p.m. closing time to accommodate the crowds.

They will decide 35 of the 70 seats in the legislature, though about a dozen of those seats were uncontested. The rest of the legislators are chosen by various business interest groups dominated by pro-Beijing loyalists.

One winner was 23-year-old Nathan Law, who helped lead the 2014 protests — part of the so-called Umbrella Movement — with teenage activist Joshua Wong. Their party, Demosisto, calls for a referendum on Hong Kong’s future relationship with China, including the possibility of independence.

The other young activists who won include a university lecturer who had been arrested in February street protests, an environmentalist who opposes high-speed rail links to the mainland and two members of the upstart political party Youngspiration, which also calls for a referendum.

Before the elections, the legislature was divided between pro-Beijing loyalists and the so-called pan-Democratic bloc, whose 27 seats gave it veto power to block legislation.

Some voters have turned to the new generation of activists because they believe that the pan-Democratic faction is inadequately defending Hong Kong’s interests and autonomy.

The activists and pan-Democrats combined appear to have won far more votes than the pro-Beijing faction.

“It matters less who got elected. This is the way for voters to show after Umbrella Movement they’re turning away from pro-Beijing loyalists,” said legislator Leung Kwok-hung of the pan-Democratic camp.

Beijing-backed Hong Kong Chief Executive C.Y. Leung has said he’ll announce whether he’ll run for a second term after the elections.

Under a mini-constitution known as Basic Law, Hong Kong enjoys freedoms that go far beyond those of mainland China. That arrangement is set to expire in 2047, when the former British colony reverts to full Chinese control.

Legislators are limited to voting on bills and funding proposals put forth by the government and are not allowed to propose their own. There is no provision for a referendum of any sort.

The ban of six pro-independence candidates was based on the notion that their advocacy for independence violated the Basic Law, which states that Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China.

“This is to show if you go down on the path of advocating independence, there is no return, and you’ll be blocked by the government,” said Ching Cheong, a local political commentator. “What the Chinese Communist Party wants is to nip it in the bud, even when pro-Beijing loyalists here know this is impossible in a pluralistic society like Hong Kong.

“Even as they’re barred from running, their political demands cannot be ignored and their political appeal will only grow,” Ching said.

One of the banned candidates, Edward Leung, said in July that he might file an election petition with the court to overturn the results. That now seems unlikely, because the candidate he supported, Sixtus Leung of the Youngspiration party, won a seat.

There are other signs that their camp is gaining strength.

A recent poll by the Chinese University of Hong Kong showed that 40% of people in Hong Kong under the age of 25 support independence, though most think it is impossible.

In June 2015, the legislature rejected election rules drafted by Beijing that would have limited candidates for the 2017 election of Hong Kong’s high office to two or three Beijing loyalists.

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Islamic State has lost all territory along the Syria-Turkey border, Turkish news agency says </s> China warns new Hong Kong lawmakers not to back independence

Beijing has warned new Hong Kong lawmakers not to back independence for the semi-autonomous city after young anti-China activists won seats for the first time in key weekend elections.

Sunday's vote saw young activists pushing for more autonomy from Beijing secure a crucial foothold in the city's Legislative Council (LegCo), as fears grow that China is tightening its grip.

It was the first major poll since pro-democracy rallies in 2014 failed to win concessions on political reform from Beijing.

Some student protest leaders were among those winning seats in the landmark vote. Five candidates advocating independence or self-determination for Hong Kong are to sit in the 70-seat assembly.

In a statement late Monday, China said that it would not tolerate any talk of independence "inside or outside" the legislature.

"We firmly oppose any activity relating to Hong Kong independence in any form, inside or outside the Legislative Council, and firmly support the Hong Kong government to impose punishment in accordance with the law," state news agency Xinhua cited a spokesperson of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council -- China's cabinet -- as saying.

It said some candidates had used the election as a platform to "openly promote" independence, adding that went against China's constitution, as well as Hong Kong's own mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law.

"It is also against the fundamental interests of all Hong Kong residents," said the statement, which was posted on the website of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office.

The vote saw the highest turnout since Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal that protected the city's freedoms for 50 years.

Fears that Beijing interference is now threatening those liberties in a range of areas, from politics to education and media, have sparked the birth of the independence movement.

Lawmakers will take up their seats on October 1 and will have to swear an oath to uphold the constitution, which describes Hong Kong as part of China.

It is not yet clear what may happen if they go on to advocate independence as an option for Hong Kong in the legislature.

The government has already taken steps to deter the pro-independence camp.

It introduced a controversial new form before the LegCo election which required candidates to verify they understood Hong Kong was an "inalienable part of China". Many refused to sign it.

The government also banned the most strident independence activists from standing, causing widespread outrage.

Hong Kong's unpopular leader Leung Chun-ying, seen by critics as a stooge of Beijing, said Tuesday that all lawmakers must abide by the Basic Law.

However, he added that he wanted to cooperate with all legislators.

"(I) hope we can all work for society together," Leung told reporters.

Anti-establishment parties increased their share of the legislature, taking 30 of 70 seats.

It is almost impossible for them to take a majority as 30 seats are appointed by special interest groups that tend to be pro-Beijing. </s> HONG KONG: Hong Kong's high court on Friday removed four opposition lawmakers from the city's legislative assembly after it invalidated their oaths of office.

The former British colony, which became a Chinese territory 20 years ago under a "one country, two systems" arrangement, is guaranteed a wide range of freedoms not enjoyed in China, including a direct vote for half of the 70-seat legislature.

But activists say the city government's efforts in disqualifying democratically elected lawmakers is a direct assault to those freedoms. </s> Young radicals gain foothold in Hong Kong poll likely to rile China

HONG KONG, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Several pro-independence candidates won seats in Hong Kong's legislative election which saw a record turnout in the Chinese-controlled city on Sunday, results likely to further strain ties with Communist Party rulers in Beijing.

An initial count on Monday also suggested Hong Kong's pro-democracy opposition might retain its crucial one-third veto bloc in the 70-seat Legislative Council over major pieces of legislation and public funding that has helped check China's influence.

Full results weren't due till later in the day.

This was the first major election since the student-led, pro-democracy "Umbrella Revolution" protests in 2014 that blocked roads for 79-days as a turning point in the city's politics, even though Beijing gave no ground.

Since then, many disaffected youngsters have decried what they see as increasing Beijing interference stifling dissent and civil liberties, leading to a radicalisation of the political scene and occasional violent protests.

Several veteran democrats failed to retain their seats, as voters backed a new batch of younger democrats espousing self-determination and a more confrontational stance with China.

"It's a new era," said Lee Cheuk-yan, a democratic lawmaker who lost his seat after nearly two decades in public office.

"People want change, change meaning that they want new faces ... but the price is a further fragmentation (of the democracy camp). Ideologically they're talking about independence and they want to assert themselves."

Voters flocked to cast ballots in record numbers with some having to wait several hours after the close of polling past midnight to cast ballots at congested voting booths, leading to some delays in vote counting on Monday.

"Hong Kong is really chaotic now. I want to do something to help," said 28-year-old Maicy Leung, who was in a snaking queue of several hundred. "It's to help the next generation and to help myself."

The former British colony was handed back to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" agreement that promised to maintain the global financial hub's freedoms and separate laws for at least 50 years, but gave ultimate control to Beijing.

The Electoral Affairs Commission said 58 percent of the city's 3.8 million eligible voters had cast their ballot, up from 53 percent in 2012 and the highest turnout for any legislative election since 1997.

Despite the disqualification of six pro-democracy election candidates from the election in July on the grounds that they supported independence, at least five "localists" and younger democrats won seats including one of the leaders from the mass democracy protests of 2014, Nathan Law.

Localists put the interests of Hong Kong before those of Beijing.

"I'm quite shocked," said the 23-year-old Law. "We inherit some spirit from the movement and I hope that can continue in the future ... We still have to unite in order to have stronger power to fight against the Chinese Communist Party." </s> Hong Kong (AP) — A group of young Hong Kong pro-democracy activists pulled off a stunning election victory, gaining a foothold in the southern Chinese city’s legislature and setting the stage for a new round of political confrontations with Beijing, official results showed Monday.

The candidates, who helped lead massive 2014 pro-democracy street protests, will now seek a vote on changing the way the city is governed by China’s Communist leaders, but they’ll face resistance from Beijing, which rejects separatism.

Final results showed that overall, pro-democracy candidates won 30 of 70 seats in the Legislative Council, three more than previously, which means they retain the power to block government attempts to enact unpopular or controversial legislation, such as a Beijing-backed revamp of how the city’s top leader is chosen that sparked the 2014 protests.

Record turnout in Sunday’s vote helped sweep the newcomers into office, most notably Nathan Law, a 23-year-old former student protest leader, who garnered the second-highest number of votes in his six-seat Hong Kong Island constituency.

Law’s party, Demosisto, founded earlier this year with teen protest leader Joshua Wong, advocates a referendum on “self-determination” on the future status of Hong Kong, which is in the middle of a 50-year transition period to Chinese rule.

“It shows how Hong Kong people want to change,” Law told reporters when asked about his victory. “People are voting for a new way and new future of our democratic movement.”

In another surprising result, Yau Wai-Ching, 25, and Sixtus “Baggio” Leung, 30, of Youngspiration also secured seats. Their group was formed during the 2014 protests and proposes a similar plan as Demosisto.

The results are a sign “that Hong Kong people want to resist,” said Leung. “This is what Beijing should know. When we can’t trust ‘one country, two systems’ and the Basic Law to maintain the distinction between Hong Kong’s system and Beijing, then the next step, the answer is to cut things off.”

Under the principle of “one country, two systems” and the Basic Law constitution, Beijing is supposed to let Hong Kong keep its capitalist economic and political system separate from mainland China’s until 2047.

The newcomers pulled off their startling victories by riding a rising tide of anti-China sentiment as they challenged formidably resourced pro-Beijing rivals.

They were part of a broader wave of radical activists who campaigned for Hong Kong’s complete autonomy or even independence from China, highlighting fears that Beijing is violating its promise to let the city mostly run itself, as well as frustration over the failure of the 2014 protests to win genuine elections for Hong Kong’s top leader.

That represents a break with the established mainstream “pan-democrat” parties, who have demanded voters be able to elect more lawmakers as well as the city’s top leader, or chief executive — currently chosen by a panel of pro-Beijing elites — but never challenged the idea that Hong Kong is part of China.

Leaders in Beijing and Hong Kong will have to reconsider their hard-line approach toward rising pro-democracy opposition after it backfired, “because now with the entry of a new generation of young democrats into the legislature, the politics inside the legislature will be very fierce,” said Sonny Lo, a political analyst at The Education University of Hong Kong.

About 2.2 million people, or 58 percent of registered voters, cast ballots for the Legislative Council, the highest turnout since the city’s 1997 handover from Britain.

Another rookie, 38-year-old land reform campaigner Eddie Chu, was the election’s biggest surprise, winning 84,121 votes, the highest number of votes received by any of the more than 200 candidates competing for 35 seats in geographic constituencies.

“I hope to renew the democratic movement of Hong Kong,” Chu said. He too wants to focus on promoting a self-determination movement. “That is my political goal in Hong Kong.”

Five “super seats” are chosen by voters citywide, and 30 are taken by members representing business and trade groups such as accounting, finance, medicine and fisheries, most of which support Beijing because their members have close ties to China’s Communist elite on the mainland.
Two Hong Kong Youngspiration party Legislative Council election victors lose their appeal to take their seats in parliament by a High Court three-judge panel. Tomorrow, the High Court will hear the independence supporters' petition for a hearing by the Court of Final Appeal.