Casting aside any calls to stand down, scandal-plagued chief executive hopeful Henry Tang Ying-yen formally signed up for the race for the top job yesterday.
He had the backing of 379 nominations from the 1,200-strong Election Committee.
Nominators include the city's major tycoons, such as Cheung Kong Holding's Li Ka-shing and Victor Li Tzar-kuoi, Sun Hung Kai Properties' Raymond Kwok Ping-luen and Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong, Henderson Land's Lee Shau-kee, New World Development's Henry Cheng Kar-shun, and Lau Wong-fat, head of the powerful rural affairs body the Heung Yee Kuk.
Presenting a five-minute manifesto yesterday, Tang vowed he would regain the confidence and trust of Hongkongers after being caught up in the latest scandal over illegal structures at a home owned by his wife and an earlier confession of 'straying' in his love life.
'I will devote a hundred times of efforts and I will not give up,' he said.
'I admitted that I did not handle [the scandals] well. I intended to protect my family, but it hurt them even more. It's my fault and I will take the full responsibility.'
Tang, who did not respond to media questions yesterday, was the second candidate to register his candidacy after pan-democratic contender Albert Ho Chun-yan secured 183 nominations last week. New People's Party chairwoman and former security minister Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee also announced a bid last night - although she admitted she was not positive about securing 'three-digit' nominations.