HK voting fiasco presages tightening of Beijing's control

Hong Kong

AS expected, the Hong Kong government's electoral reform package, which had been the focus of heated debate, failed to pass in the Legislative Council, thus blocking Beijing's formula for "one man, one vote" elections for chief executive in 2017. Instead, a 1,200-member election committee will continue to decide.

But political drama of a high order accompanied the vote in the legislature. In the end, instead of a substantial number supporting the government initiative, but falling short of the required two-thirds majority, the measure received only eight votes in the 70-member legislature, with 28 votes against, after a farcical last-minute manoeuvre by Beijing supporters.