Technology changes rapidly, and so has the list of candidates running for the information technology (IT) functional constituency in next month's Legislative Council election.
Front-running candidate John Tse Si-yin from the Hospital Authority and City Telecom chairman Ricky Wong Wai-kay have been forced to withdraw because they held right of abode in other countries, and independent businessman Ringo Chan Kei-fu has joined the race.
Mr Chan, a managing partner of software developer Timeless Software, submitted his nomination on Friday, just before the deadline. He belongs to Mr Tse's 20-member alliance formed for the Election Committee (EC) poll this month, and is regarded as a replacement for Mr Tse.
Mr Chan, an EC member, won 411 votes from 1,472 IT electors who took part in the poll.
Mr Chan, Democrat Sin Chung-kai and City University professor Yung Kai-ning now make up the IT election field.
Mr Sin, who had regarded Mr Tse as the main competition, said he felt the race would be easier.
'The sudden change of leader in their team will hurt their morale,' he said. 'Also, they have less time to prepare and to adjust their strategy.' Mr Sin, the Democrats spokesman for IT policy, believed his party would back him in his vision to turn Hong Kong into a digital city, with widespread application of technology in daily life, by 2005.