Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan says she is appalled that her party colleague Paul Zimmerman is gathering nominations in an attempt to take her on for a Legislative Council seat.
Zimmerman says his first choice is to run for one of the five so-called 'super seats' which will be elected for the first time by a citywide ballot of the 3.2 million voters who cannot vote in any other functional constituency. But problems in securing the 15 nominations he needs from district councillors have led him to look instead at taking on his own party in the Hong Kong Island geographical seat.
Chan is vulnerable to a split in the party's vote because she is second on the ticket behind former party chairman Dr Kenneth Chan Ka-lok.
'We have been trying to help him seek nominations for the functional constituency [super] seat, and tried to invite him to join our Island list, but he has rejected [it],' Tanya Chan said.
Zimmerman said his late decision to join the election would not damage his relationship with the party. 'Tanya and I have been good friends,' the Dutch-born Southern district councillor said.
'Now she may be a bit nervous because of the campaign.'