Hong Kong’s First ‘Patriots-Only’ Election Kicks Off

“Fewer than 5,000 Hong Kong people from mostly pro-establishment circles began voting on Sunday for candidates to an election committee, vetted as loyal to Beijing, who will pick the city’s next China-backed leader and some of its legislature,” Reuters reports.

“Pro-democracy candidates are nearly absent from Hong Kong’s first election since Beijing overhauled the city’s electoral system to ensure that ‘only patriots’ rule China’s freest city.”