One Sick Lawmaker Makes Vote on Hong Kong Democracy a Landslide

After nine months of division in Hong Kong that saw protesters clash with police, the city’s decision on whether to accept a China-backed plan for picking its chief executive ended with 28 lawmakers voting against and 8 for.

A widely expected narrow defeat of the plan in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council became a blowout when a 78-year old lawmaker in favor of the proposal fell ill and his compatriots walked out of the session in a failed bid to delay the ballot. While the incident wouldn’t have made a difference since the 28 opposing votes put the two-thirds majority needed for the plan past reach, it does mean records will show an overwhelming rejection.