People's Party pair to do battle for leadership
A senior banking executive and an environmentalist will tomorrow contest the chairmanship of a political party targeting the middle class.
A source from the People's Party said Laurie Wan Sek-luen, former chairman of the Conservancy Association, would be one of the candidates.
Another party source said Lo Chung-hing, general manager of Bank of China Hong Kong (Holdings), would challenge Mr Wan.
The party was founded by a group of pro-Beijing businessmen and professionals in March last year with the aim of achieving universal suffrage in a 'gradual and orderly' fashion.
It is believed to be spearheaded by former Asia Television chief executive Feng Xiaoping but it is understood he will not seek election to the party's standing committee tomorrow.
Mr Feng worked for Yue Xiu Enterprises, the commercial arm of the Guangzhou municipal government, before becoming ATV's largest shareholder in 1998.
The moderate political group has adopted a low profile since Donald Tsang Yam-kuen succeeded Tung Chee-hwa as chief executive last year.
The party's meetings have up to now been chaired by core members in rotation.
Other founders include Kan Fook-yee, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress, retired director of civil aviation Peter Lok Kung-nam and Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, associate dean of the City University's school of law.
