HONG KONG: Thousands of people inHong Kong noisily protested on Sunday against the city's incoming leader and decriedBeijing's alleged interference in the election that propelled him to the top job.
Holding banners and chanting slogans such as "One person, one vote" and "Leung step down", demonstrators marched through the busy city centre toBeijing's representative office in the semi-autonomous territory.
About 15,000 people took part in the 90-minute procession, organisers said. Police estimated the crowd at 5,300.
It was the first major protest since Leung Chun-ying, 57, a self-made millionaire property consultant, was chosen a week earlier as the next chief executive by a 1,200-strong election committee packed with pro-Beijing elites.
The former British colony, which reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, enjoys broad freedoms not seen on mainlandChinaunder the "One country, two systems" model, but does not yet get to choose its own leader by popular vote.
"Beijingblatantly interfered in our election," said retiree Lam Sum-shing, 69, who was wearing a green army uniform and a mask with Leung's photo.
"I'm wearing this to show he will be a 'yes' man forBeijing. He was not chosen by the seven millionHong Kongpeople, he's chosen merely by 689 pro-Beijing elitists," Lam told AFP.
Demonstrators also held up a huge black banner with the Chinese character "mourning" to highlight what they called "the death of democracy", and posters saying "The Wolf is here".
That referred to Leung's nickname, coined for his perceived ruthlessness and cunning. The ex-government adviser beat Henry Tang, theHong Konggovernment's former number two, in the election.
Tang was seen asBeijing's favoured candidate until a series of gaffes and scandals wrecked his campaign. The government inChinathen reportedly relayed to election committee members that they should support Leung instead.
There were chaotic scenes outsideBeijing's representative office when police sprayed a fire extinguisher at a protester who repeatedly tried to set aHong Kongflag on fire. Demonstrators also trampled on a wolf-shaped banner.
"We don't want a 'small-circle election', we want equal voting rights," university student Kelvin Chan said.
Opinion polls before the election suggested that many inHong Kongbacked neither Leung nor Tang, but wanted universal suffrage to choose a new leader to replace outgoing chief executive Donald Tsang from July.
Leung said in a statement after the rally that he respected the right of the public to express their views.
"I will adhere strictly to the principles of 'One country, two systems', 'Hong Kongpeople rulingHong Kong', and a high degree of autonomy in accordance with the Basic Law," he said, referring to the mini-constitution.
Leung will beHong Kong's third post-handover leader.Beijinghas said that at the earliest, the city's chief executive could be directly elected in 2017 and the legislature by 2020.
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