Over 300 enter Hong Kong Election Committee race
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
More than 300 hopefuls submitted nominations on Wednesday as Hong Kong opened the nomination period for its Election Committee subsector poll. The committee to be returned through the November 22 election and other channels will form the 1,500-member body that selects the next chief executive in March next year
Key Points
- The nomination period opened on October 7 and will run until October 20 for subsector contests in the November 22 Election Committee poll
- The Registration and Electoral Office received 305 candidate nominations on the first day, plus two nominations from designated bodies proposing committee members
- Registered subsector voters will elect up to 982 representatives, who will join 362 ex officio members and 156 members nominated by designated bodies
- Consumer Council chairman Clement Chan Kam-wing, running in the accountancy subsector, said he wanted to help strengthen Hong Kong’s role as an international financial hub
- Former Urban Renewal Authority managing director Wai Chi-sing, contesting the engineering subsector, said the next chief executive should better align the Northern Metropolis with older urban districts
- Filmmaker Derek Yee Tung-sing and Hong Kong table tennis coach Li Ching were part of a 15-member slate in the sports, performing arts, culture and publication subsector
- Members of that 15-person team declined to say whether they would back Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu if he seeks a second term
- In the labour subsector, the Federation of Trade Unions put forward 46 representatives, although the source excerpt did not provide the full list
Why It Matters
The first-day turnout offers an early indication of how competitive different subsectors may be before nominations close on October 20. Because the Election Committee will choose Hong Kong’s next chief executive in March, the composition of the body matters well beyond the subsector races themselves