Chief Executive will be chosen by a pro-China committee

Pro-democracy activists and hundreds of supporters marched in Hong Kong on Saturday ahead of a vote for the city’s next leader which they reject as a sham.

Hong Kong’s next Chief Executive will be chosen by a pro-China committee on Sunday morning with former deputy leader Carrie Lam widely seen as Beijing’s favourite for the job, but intensely disliked by the democracy camp who view her as a hard-liner.

It is the first leadership vote in the semi-autonomous city since mass rallies in 2014 calling for fully free elections failed to win reform and comes as concern grows that Beijing is increasingly interfering in Hong Kong.

Pro-democracy group

Some of the marchers on Saturday held yellow umbrellas, symbol of the democracy movement, and chanted “Oppose Chinese authorities’ appointment — we should choose our own government!” The city’s best-known pro-democracy campaigner, Joshua Wong, said he expected more protesters to gather on Sunday as committee members cast their votes at the harbour-front convention centre.

The pro-democracy camp makes up only a quarter of the 1,194-strong election committee, which is drawn from a range of special interest groups, ranging from agriculture to real estate.