Hong Kong Lawmakers Reject Electoral Reform Backed By Beijing
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. We are following a deadly mass shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, where there has been a deadly mass shooting at a church.</s>BARNETT: Here's the details and the newest information we have for you right now. Nine people are dead at a historic African-American Church the city of Charleston. Federal and local officers are fanning out across the city searching for the white male suspect who is believed to be behind this incident. The mayor and police chief both say they believe this was a hate crime.</s>CHURCH: Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church is said to be the oldest black church of its kind in the southern United States. During the times of slavery in the U.S., it was an important point on the so- called Underground Railroad, helping slaves find their way to freedom. It's located in downtown Charleston, where thousands of tourists visit during this time of the year.</s>BARNETT: We will continue to follow that breaking story throughout the night. We want to turn to another breaking development taking place right now. This one out of Hong Kong. Lawmakers there have rejected electoral reform backed by Beijing.</s>CHURCH: It is a victory for pro democracy supporters. If the measure passed, it would have let people cast votes for Hong Kong's next leader in 2017, but only if China approved the candidates first.</s>BARNETT: Let's turn to our senior international correspondent, Ivan Watson, for more on this. There was fear ahead of this vote it wouldn't have enough of a majority, two-thirds majority to pass. It did fail in the end. Why?</s>IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It needed a two- thirds majority to support it. There's roughly some 27, 28 members of the legislative body, comprised of 70 people, who all announced they would oppose it. The second-highest official here in the administration in Hong Kong, in her comments moments before the vote took place, which was less than an hour ago, she predicted that all the hard work she put in to this would be in vain. Listen to what Carrie Lam had to say.</s>CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG LEGISLATOR: At the moment, the reform proposal will be voted down. I said I'm disappointed. I don't know when democratization can be taken forward.</s>WATSON: There was drama in the assembly room as the votes were cast. After the head of the council announced the vote would be underway, seconds later, a large chunk of the lawmakers staged a walk out. They were, for the most, part from the pro Beijing, pro government faction that was supporting the bill, Errol. Out of 70 voters, there were only 37, just half of the people in the council. Eight voted down the election proposal -- I'm sorry, 28 voted down the election proposal and eight voted in favor of this. From the camp that supported the motion, there was some long faces, some glum faces. From those who voted it down, there were moments of celebration. One lawmaker holding up a yellow umbrella out here in the hallway that's a symbol of the Umbrella Revolution, the so-called Umbrella Revolution from last autumn. What does this say? Well, the proposed system for electing Hong Kong's top executive in 2017, that has just been thrown out the window. This is also a slap in the face of the ruling Communist Party, the central government in Beijing. Basically, Hong Kong, a former British colony, has once again said no to Beijing's plans for this port city, this island city. It is a setback, again, for the central government, which really isn't accustomed to citizens of China saying no to it and getting away with it -- Errol?</s>BARNETT: So if it is a setback for the status quo and the local government and Beijing, certainly this is a bit of a success story for those young people who turned out and clogged the streets as part of the Umbrella Movement for the young teenager who for sometime put himself through a hunger strike, all so they could vote without Beijing's interference. So for those local politicians who voted this down, those demonstrations and that resistance to China's influence must have been what was in their minds.</s>WATSON: Absolutely. Some of these lawmakers -- one woman who I interviewed, she had homemade earrings made out of umbrellas, out of that same symbol that emerged on the streets last autumn. So some of these lawmakers were shouting victory as they came out of the council chambers. It's important to note that Hong Kong society, according to polls, is quite split on this issue. In fact, in a whole succession of surveys there were a few more percentage points of those surveyed supporting this law than those opposing it. That's an important point to keep in mind, that you do have polarization in society, that a significant portion of Hong Kong society was supporting the proposal that the Hong Kong administrators had put forward that were endorsed by the central government in Beijing. You also had roughly 40 percent of those surveyed who opposed this. And I think everybody agreed that there's still a big challenge, how do you get Hong Kong society to unite? One of the supporters of this bill, which just failed, said, I don't predict this will be good for governance of the city in the years ahead. That's saying something because I think Hong Kong prides itself on its efficiency -- Errol?</s>CHURCH: Ivan Watson, live for us in Hong Kong on a successful day for those there that want less interference from Beijing. Appreciate the live update. Thank you. We are still following the breaking news out of Charleston, South Carolina. A church shooting in which nine people are dead. The suspect still on the loose. We will have more here on CNN for you after this short break.