Candidates campaign expenses shed little light on source of funds

On the bright, sunny morning of September 9, a 60-seat coach trundled to a halt outside a primary school in the New Territories. Its elderly passengers made their slow and steady way to the building - serving as a polling station in that day's Legislative Council election.

Each of them had a sticker in their palms with a number on it, a reminder from the coach's organisers of which candidate they should pick.

Minutes later, they were doing their civic duty, casting their ballots to elect new legislators.

It all looked legitimate enough - but two months on, the election expenses each candidate must submit by law made no mention of the bus, or scores of others like it used to ferry voters to polling stations.

Nor was there any mention of exit polling. Those voters outside the school were accosted by young women with badges identifying them as working for the Hong Kong Research Association as "exit poll helpers". The group, which is known to have ties to the Beijing-loyalist camp, says its polling was used for academic research, although suspicion remains that some exit poll organisers shared information with political parties, allowing them to divert later voters to slates that were in danger of losing.

All 269 candidates who contested in September for the 70 seats in Legco were obliged to submit before last week their campaign expenditure, as well as all details about donations they received - in cash, goods and services - during the election period.

But the expenses claims generated rather more heat than light as to the question of who paid for the posters, billboards and leaflets that were near ubiquitous in the city throughout the summer months.