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The small group of pro-democracy lawmakers in the Hong Kong legislature dont have enough votes to get much done. But when 27 of them band together, they have the numbers to block significant pieces of legislation that require two-thirds support in the 70-member legislature.

Now they hope to use that power to knock down a Chinese proposal that would allow Beijing to choose who Hong Kong can vote to its top political office.

We are very angry and very, very unhappy, said Emily Lau, who leads Hong Kong's Democratic Party. Theres no chance that we will allow this to pass.

But China wields such influence in Hong Kong that its unclear whether legislators will ultimately prove capable of vetoing a new plan that places heavy constraints on who can be elected Hong Kongs powerful chief executive.

A proposal released Sunday mandates candidates love China and be nominated by more than half of a secretive 1,200-person committee over which Beijing holds substantial sway. Two or three successful nominees can then appear on a ballot for a general election, a system China has said fulfills its promise to give Hong Kong universal suffrage.

But critics have called it sullied democracy, and are threatening wave after wave of protests that are beginning to come to life. On Monday, protesters holding we want democracy signs interrupted a press conference with Chinese officials in Hong Kong. Youth leaders pledged broad mid-September student strikes at high schools and universities. Police used pepper spray on a small group of protesters, the first scuffle in what could be a coming series of tense encounters with police and, perhaps, soldiers.

Chinese officials have already threatened to use provisions in Hong Kongs Basic Law that allow the Peoples Liberation Army to be called in. They have also warned that the election reform is in large measure a take-it-or-leave-it deal, saying Beijing is not eager to revisit the issue in five years time.

It would be impossible for the development opportunities that were lost to come again," said Li Fei, chairman of the Basic Law Committee that oversees Hong Kong.

If the Hong Kong legislature rejects the voting proposal, the 2017 election will not happen. Instead, the chief executive will be chosen using the current method, where the 1,200-person committee makes the decision.

That would seem to be a step backwards. But pro-democracy lawmakers said Beijing has gone back on its word to allow proper elections, and they cannot support it.

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Hong Kongs pro-democracy lawmakers look to veto Chinas proposal