Hong Kong began voting Sunday in a legislative election that will test the appeal of a new wave of anti-China activists and set the stage for future political fights over Beijing's control over the city.
The Legislative Council election is the first since police clashes with student protesters two years ago thrust the former British colony's struggle for greater democracy into the global spotlight. The scuffles exposed rifts in Hong Kong's political camps, with some prodemocracy advocates demanding a sharper break with China and other more establishment politicians calling for the ouster of the city's Beijing-backed leader.
The results, expected Monday, will impact Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's ability to implement his agenda in the Asian financial hub and get re-elected in March. Also at stake is the opposition's capacity to block legislation with more than a third of the chamber's 70 seats, a key barrier to controversial bills like the proposed election overhaul that sparked the mass "Occupy" rallies in 2014.