Part 4/10:
The roots of the current political crisis began to show in 2014 when the CCP proposed electoral reforms that allowed for screening candidates for the chief executive role. This initiative sparked outrage, branding it as a form of "stage-managed democracy" and a blatant rejection of universal suffrage. The discontent led to widespread protests, which only intensified with the introduction of the controversial extradition bill in 2019. This proposed legislation threatened to extradite Hong Kongers to mainland China, raising alarm bells about the erosion of legal protections.