Hong Kong leader defends election after single non-establishment figure picked for 1,500-strong committee

Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, has defended the weekend’s election of a powerful committee to appoint senior leaders, after just one candidate not strictly aligned with the establishment camp was elected among the 1,500 positions.
Under an overhauled electoral system, dubbed “patriots rule Hong Kong”, fewer than 5,000 people were eligible to vote on Sunday, choosing from candidates who had already been vetted for political loyalty and cleared of being a national security threat.