Hong Kong set to get new leader as anointed by Beijing

A pro-democracy protester displays a placard during a demonstration in Hong Kong to demand genuine universal suffrage, Saturday, March 25, 2017. Hong Kong is poised to choose a new leader on Sunday when members of a committee dominated by elites favored by Beijing cast their ballots in the first such vote since 2014’s huge pro-democracy protests. AP

HONG KONG, China — A committee dominated by pro-Beijing elites is set to cast ballots to choose Hong Kong’s next leader in the first such vote since 2014’s huge pro-democracy protests.

The election committee’s 1,194 members will vote Sunday morning, with the city’s former No. 2 official Carrie Lam widely expected to win after getting the backing of China’s communist leaders.

The system, which was at the root of 2014’s protests, has been criticized by pro-democracy activists as a “fake election.”

Lam is an efficient and pragmatic administrator but unpopular with Hong Kongers because she’s seen as a proxy for Beijing and out of touch with ordinary people.

Her main rival is John Tsang, who is highly popular but doesn’t have Beijing’s support. CBB/rga