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Chief executive election 2017
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Chief executive contender Carrie Lam is expected to submit more than 300 nominations early next week. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong leadership hopeful Lam set to hand in nominations early next week as Tsang goes early to Electoral Office, Ip struggles

An aspirant needs to garner 150 nominations from 1,194-member Election Committee by next Wednesday to become a formal candidate

Chief executive contenders Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is set to submit her nominations and formally become a candidate in Hong Kong’s leadership race early next week, while underdog Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee vowed to fight until nominations close on Wednesday.

Ip, chairwoman of the New People’s Party, dismissed the suggestion on Friday that she should quit the race if she was unlikely to secure 150 nominations by the deadline. She said the idea was “illogical and unreasonable” as electors’ nominations were personal and not forced endorsements.

Former chief secretary Lam, seen as Beijing’s preferred choice, is the front runner in the race and expected to submit more than 300 nominations early next week.

The underdogs, Tsang and Woo Kwok-hing, who have respectively bagged about 130 and 110 nominations so far, are also expected to secure enough nominations.

Ip has refused to disclose the number of nominations she has garnered from the 1,194-member Election Committee that will pick the city’s next leader on March 26. She is expected to be nominated by more than 20 members of her own party.

John Tsang has been picking up nominations from pan-democrats. Photo: Jonathan Wong

In a veiled attack on Lam, who has lagged behind Tsang in opinion polls, Ip said the race should not become a contest on the number of nominations. “The most important thing is to win people’s hearts. That’s what a successful politician needs. A high number of nominations is meaningless.”

On Thursday, accountant Ho Chun-hung became the first pan-democrat to nominate Ip.

Ip said Ho’s nomination was “significant” and several pan-democrat electors in the social welfare sector had also expressed interest in nominating her.

“I will work hard until 5pm on Wednesday. If I have enough nominations, I will go and submit them, and if I don’t, I’ll announce that I won’t,” she said.

Asked by the Post how far she was from gaining 150 nominations, she said: “It’s as far as the sky and yet right in front of us. I will make it if there is any dramatic development so I will definitely not give up.”

Ip’s statement came hours after Tsang also refused to say if he had already secured enough nominations. But the ex-financial secretary expressed strong confidence that he could become a formal candidate.

“We are getting close but we still have a lot of work to do,” Tsang said. “My intention is to submit [the nominations] to the election office at the beginning of next week.”

Tsang, most of whose support comes from pan-democrats, refused to say how many nominations came from the pro-establishment camp.

“To win the race, I would need a substantial number of votes from the pro-establishment bloc,” Tsang said, adding he would continue lobbying voters.

Ip spoke on Friday as she updated her platform for the second time since December, by adding new proposals on tourism and cultural development.

Chief executive hopeful Regina Ip updates her election platform. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
The former security minister also commented on the controversy over police officers comparing themselves with Jewish victims of the Holocaust after seven colleagues were jailed for assaulting a protester in 2014.

She said the comparison reflected a lack of understanding of international affairs.

Separately in Beijing, the Small and Medium Law Firms Association of Hong Kong met Huang Liuquan, the deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, on Thursday.

“[Huang] suggested that the central government’s appointment [of the chief executive] is a very crucial element ,” said delegation leader lawyer Maggie Chan Man-ki.

Former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa earlier warned that Beijing would not appoint the winner of the race if it considered that person to be unacceptable.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Lam, Tsang set to submit nominations as Ip strugglesLam, Tsang set to submit nominations, Ip struggles
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