Police cracked down on Hong Kong democracy activists Monday, charging them over the Umbrella Movement mass protests, a day after a pro-Beijing candidate was chosen as the city's new leader. The day after her win, police cracked down on key leaders of the 2014 pro-democracy protests. They said that the kind of ballot that was being proposed would be a sham because candidates would still have to approved by a committee like the one that has just chosen Mrs Lam. Campaigners occupied the streets for 79 days, and in 2015 lawmakers voted down China's plan.

As the next leader of the Asian financial center, Lam will inherit a city roiled by political divisions, including a burgeoning independence movement, and saddled with sluggish economic growth. That said, whether this group of committee members is willing to back Carrie Lam, who is now seen as Beijing's preferred candidate but has been dubbed "C.Y".

The election for Hong Kong's top political job will take place on Sunday, and the result could determine the course of a city that's becoming more polarized over Beijing's growing influence. The four legislators, including student leader Law, face being removed by Hong Kong's Justice Department over charges that their swearing-in oaths were invalid because they did not repeat word-for-word a strict pledge of allegiance to mainland China.

Mrs Lam is nicknamed "lai-ma" or "wet-nurse" by opponents in a jibe over what they say was fawning loyalty towards her former boss.

"They've had years to consider these cases and they just chose to do this now". Leung's unexpected early departure was widely seen as a sign that Beijing may change its hardline approach towards Hong Kong, despite his recent promotion to the vice-chairmanship of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Tsang got 365 votes, or 31 percent, while the third candidate, retired judge Woo Kwok-hing, had 21 votes. The fact that pro-Beijing lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan took over the Liberal Party and joined the Executive Council at the end of a year ago showed that Hong Kong businessmen have lost nearly all their political power. Hong Kong is obsessed with numerology.

Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997, when it was returned to Chinese rule with the promise of 50 years of autonomy.

He told his supporters Sunday that he believed Lam would "stand by the core values of Hong Kong". "Hong Kong, our home, is suffering from quite a serious divisiveness", Lam said in a victory speech.

Ahead of the election, Lam talked about bringing more young voices into the government, improving transparency and accelerating development. "It is crystal clear that the target of the Beijing government is to wipe out all democratic forces in Hong Kong - from the prosecution of Umbrella Movement leaders to unseating democratic lawmakers", Mr Law said in a statement.

While she said Sunday she wanted more democracy for Hong Kong, Lam said she meant to prioritise social issues such as housing.

Lam, 59, who will be the city's first woman leader, was formerly his deputy.

Chan Wing-kee, a representative of China's national legislature who voted for Ms Lam, dismissed the negative connotation, saying "777 is a lucky number". The 7.3 million people living in Hong Kong could not participate in the election. Like many others, Hong Kong-based writer Suzanne Pepper, an American, advised the Chinese to let everyone vote.

She says she wants to tackle "easier things" like housing problems, education and health care first.

But Carrie Lam - a former civil servant who held the city's No. 2 position as Chief Secretary for Administration - comes to power over a divided city that is increasingly resistant to Beijing, which she is loyal to.