I do not see any male candidate in sight among the democrats. Party veteran Martin Lee Chu-ming is not only much too old, but everybody knows he is the last person Beijing would accept. Nobody in the Election Committee would like to be associated with him.

Some pundits speculate that Democrat Albert Ho Chun-yan might be a candidate, since the recent attack on him by thugs has catapulted him into the limelight. This is either a joke or just desperation.

Like it or not, the Democratic Party - once the flagship of the dissidents and the No1 political party in the Legislative Council - is now out of steam, and may also be out of fashion. If the dissidents seriously want to find a candidate, they must look elsewhere.

It seems clear that nobody on the above shortlist could pose a credible challenge to Mr Tsang in the contest next March. Neither Ms Eu nor Ms Loh could compete with Mrs Chan, who lags behind Mr Tsang in the polls.

It would be difficult to convince members of the Election Committee to nominate either of them to run against Mr Tsang - especially when there are other possible candidates in the background who may ensure that Mr Tsang is not automatically elected.

On the other side of the political spectrum, it has been very quiet - as, in the Chinese tradition, it would be highly impolite to announce one's intention to run against a friend. But even to put up a show, just to make the chief executive election look good, somebody has to approach the stage by a certain point. And that person has to carry some credibility. It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.

Again, in the Chinese tradition, behind-the-scenes lobbying will soon take place to make sure not only that there will be no hostility during the contest, but that Mr Tsang's opponent will be duly rewarded for such a valuable service.

To some, a true election is one in which nobody knows the result until all the votes are counted. By that standard, our election would amount to a rigged poll. But it's the system we have at the moment, and there are few elections in the real world that are not fixed to a certain extent. Still, our situation is far from perfect; that's why we have to move forward relentlessly towards democracy.

Going back to the original question of who will run against Mr Tsang, I would not be surprised if tycoon Peter Woo Kwong-ching's name crops up again. This would be wholesome fun for both him and Mr Tsang. It would also add experience and exposure to Mr Woo, which could be an invaluable asset should he want to run in 2012.

What Mr Woo lacks in his portfolio is experience in the administration. If Mr Tsang would award him a seat on the Executive Council, that would be good for all parties concerned. With his rich experience in business, Mr Woo's counsel would be invaluable to the chief executive and to our community.

This might also be a good time for Executive Council member Leung Chun-ying to stretch his legs, should he ever want to run seriously. Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai could give it a try, after her retirement from the Legislative Council.

Did I also hear education chief Arthur Li Kwok-cheung and former secretary for security Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee being mentioned? Hong Kong is by no means short of political talent.

Lau Nai-keung is a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference delegate