Tens or even hundreds of thousands of demonstrators (100,000 according to the government of Hong Kong, 500,000 according to the organizers) took to Hong Kong streets as the former British colony commemorated on July 1st the transfer of sovereignty from the UK to China in 1997. Hong Kong society is politically divided into two main groups: so-called pro-Beijing or loyalist camp favours the official policies by the People's Republic of China, while the so-called pro-democracy camp calls for democratic reforms in Hong Kong and clear limits to Chinese interference in the internal affairs of the autonomous territory.

Why are the people protesting?

Protesters ask that universal suffrage be implemented in the upcoming Hong Kong Chief Executive (head of government) 2017 election, and that citizens be able to nominate their own candidates. The National People's Congress (Chinese legislature), in a resolution of its Standing Committee in 2007, said that universal suffrage could be implemented in the 2017 election, but it gave no guarantee and set some limits to it. Protesters are also criticising the recent release of the Hong Kong White Paper by the Chinese government, in which Beijing authorities highlight that the former British colony enjoys a "high degree of autonomy", but not "full autonomy."

How has the Chief Executive been elected so far?

The head of the Hong Kong government is currently elected by the Election Committee (EC). In the 2012 election, the EC was made up of 1,200 people (the total Hong Kong population exceeds 7 million). Some of the EC members are also members of the Assemblies of Hong Kong and China; others are indirectly chosen through a system of social and professional sectors, in which the right to vote is held by individuals, corporations and legal entities. Universal suffrage proponents argue that this system excludes the vast majority of the population, is anti-democratic and gives power to a very tiny minority. They also recall that the Basic Law (Constitution) of Hong Kong says the Chief Executive election should move towards universal suffrage.

Who is eligible to run for Chief Executive?

In 2012, only candidates who enjoyed the support from at least 150 among 1,200 members of EC were allowed to run for the post. Protesters want to repeal this rule too, and ask that Chief Executive candidates can be proposed by citizens who are not EC members. However, the Standing Committee 2007 resolution provides that the EC will continue to have the power to nominate the candidates. Protesters believe that this will allow China -through the influence it excerts on the EC- to boycott any candidate who does not bind to Beijing interests.

How much electoral strength does the pro-democracy camp have?

The Occupy Central movement has just got 800,000 people to vote in a non-binding, popular referendum in favor of introducing democratic changes in Hong Kong's electoral system.

In the 2012 legislative election (where universal suffrage is applied), pro-democracy parties reached 1,108,000 votes, while pro-Beijing loyalist parties just gathered 772,000 votes. But only 35 of the 70 seats in the Legislative Council are elected in this way; 30 are elected indirectly (through the same corporate system used in the Chief Executive election), and another 5 are elected through a mixed system. The result is that, despite having far more votes, pro-democracy parties only managed to get 27 seats, while the remaining 43 seats ended up in loyalist hands.

Which is the identity of Hong Kongers?

The University of Hong Kong carries out a study on the identity of Hong Kongers every year. According to the most recent study (2013), identification with China had fallen to a 14-year low. 38% of those surveyed declared themselves to be "Hong Kong citizens", while only 23% said they were "citizens of China." In the middle of both, 36% chose mixed definitions, such as "Hong Kong Chinese".

(Image: a moment of the pro-democracy demonstration / picture by C. K. Tse.)