But after a week of mass demonstrations over her proposed extradition bill and her retreat, it was unclear whether Mrs. Lam — who has evolved into a more pro-Beijing leader since she was appointed Hong Kong’s top official two years ago — would be able to stay in power for the remaining three years of her term.

What’s next? The protesters got a boost when Joshua Wong, one of the leaders of pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong in 2014, called for Mrs. Lam to resign after he was released from prison on Monday after serving half of a two-month term.

If Mrs. Lam steps down, democracy activists would demand that her successor be chosen democratically — a proposal that China is unlikely to allow in the semiautonomous city.

Another angle: Hong Kong’s youth have been at the front lines of protests this month, as they were in the democracy protests of 2014, in what many of them see as “a matter of life and death.”



The Daily: In our latest episode, a Times correspondent in Hong Kong discusses the rallies.