Pro-Beijing candidates sweep Hong Kong elections

By ZEN SOO
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — Pro-Beijing candidates have won a landslide victory in Hong Kong’s legislative elections, beating out moderates and independents in the city’s first polls since Beijing passed a resolution to amend the city’s election laws to ensure that only “patriots” loyal to Beijing could run the city. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says she is satisfied with the election, despite a 30.2% voter turnout — the lowest since the British handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997. All candidates were vetted by a largely pro-Beijing committee before they could be nominated and the number of directly elected lawmakers was reduced.