New Executive Council members Laura Cha Shih May-lung and Bernard Chan have never been widely seen as likely contenders to be the next chief executive.
That may still be so, even after they were appointed to Tung Chee-hwa's cabinet in a post-election reshuffle. Speaking after the appointments, both indicated no intention to run for the top post.
But with her experience in the mainland government, as vice-chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and in the financial sector, Mrs Cha is now seen as a dark horse in the race.
At 39, Mr Chan is a political high flier. In an apparent move to dampen speculation about his political career, the legislator representing the insurance functional constituency said on Thursday he might step down from politics after the current Legco term expires in 2008.
None of this, however, has stopped the media and pundits from speculating about their political futures.
With the second Tung administration having less than three years to go, the two new Exco members look likely to play a key role after 2007.
