Gauging Hong Kong's Political Winds Through a District Election

Six months into Hong Kong's divisive political crisis the city's 4.13 million registered voters will have the chance to weigh in on the movement and Hong Kong's broader political environment. Nov. 24, the city is scheduled to hold elections for its district council, the only direct vote its citizens have in an otherwise tightly controlled electoral mechanism. More than 1,000 candidates will stand for election for 452 council seats in a ballot that has traditionally focused on community-level issues. In recent years, the elections have produced a council dominated by pro-establishment groups aligned with Beijing's interests. This year's elections, coming in the midst of the protest movement that has gained momentum largely as a reaction to Beijing's increasing control over Hong Kong's affairs, could threaten the grip that pro-establishment forces (and, by extension, Beijing) retain on the body. ...