Hong Kong ( CNN ) Four months after the end of the massive Occupy protests that clogged Hong Kong 's streets in a bid for greater voting rights , another confrontation is heating up in the former British colony . The flashpoint ? A controversial Beijing-backed election proposal tabled Wednesday that pro-democracy legislators have already sworn to veto , describing it as `` ridiculous . '' In a speech before the city 's legislature , Chief Secretary Carrie Lam said that if approved , the proposal would give Hong Kongers the right to vote for their next leader in 2017 . The catch , of course , is candidates would have to be approved by a mostly pro-China committee . Dissenting pro-democracy legislators wearing black marched from the chamber as soon as Lam 's speech ended . Some legislators raised yellow umbrellas , a symbol of the Occupy movement . `` Their fake universal suffrage is an insult to everybody 's intelligence ; that 's why we refused to stay in the chamber . '' Hong Kong Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau told CNN . Lau said that she and other pro-democracy candidates would cast votes to ensure it does not become law . Hong Kong has become increasingly polarized over the last few years as the city fights over what kind of political system it should have as a Special Administrative Region of China . According to the agreement signed by the United Kingdom that returned the city to Chinese control in 1997 , Hong Kong would receive 50 years of `` high autonomy '' under an arrangement called `` One Country , Two Systems . '' Part of that deal included establishing an election system based on the principles of universal suffrage . But nearly eighteen years after the handover , the city continues to fight over what universal suffrage really means . Hong Kong 's leaders argue its latest proposal fulfills the long-awaited promise of universal suffrage by giving each resident the right to cast a vote . All that 's left is for the legislature to approve the proposal , and then everyone can go home happy , they say . Pro-democracy Hong Kongers beg to differ . `` If it is a genuine election , people should be free to stand and people should be free to vote , '' said Lau . `` Now all you have is a vote , and the candidates must be vetted by a committee consisting of business and political elites . It 's horrendous . `` To say the majority of Hong Kongers want to support this nonsensical package is a blatant lie.. If nothing is changed , we will definitely vote it down . '' To become law , the proposal must receive the support of two thirds of Hong Kong 's 70 legislators . But Lau and 26 other pro-democracy legislators make up more than a third of the chamber , meaning they can veto the bill . If they do , then the city 's electoral reform process will effectively return to square one . Hong Kong 's leadership has warned pro-democracy legislators against the veto , saying the city might never again receive a chance for political reform . `` We must strive for consensus , '' Lam told legislators . `` We sincerely hope the pan-democrats abandon their passive attitude . '' But consensus seems unlikely . Hong Kong and Chinese leaders have repeatedly said there is no room for the proposal to change . In response , Lau and other pro-democracy legislators will launch a citywide campaign this weekend to rally public opinion against the proposal . And she did not rule out the possibility of a repeat of last year 's massive street protests . `` Should people decide to resort to civil disobedience again , its up to them , '' she said . `` Whatever we do , our struggle must be peaceful , orderly , nonviolent . And we will do our best . '' Wayne Chang and CNN 's Vivian Kam contributed reporting .
this proposal would give incumbent Kongers right to vote for their next leader in 2020 . But proposal would have to be approved by a mostly pro - Beijing committee . Pro - democracy legislators have vowed to veto proposal .