The Liberal Party yesterday announced it was backing Henry Tang Ying-yen, the party's former founding member, making it the first establishment faction to declare its favoured chief executive candidate.
The support comes around a month before the nomination period for the city's top post is due to start.
Speaking after a party meeting, chairwoman Miriam Lau Kin-yee said members agreed that all 29 votes of the party in the 1,194-strong Election Committee - which will select the city's next leader on March 25 - would go to Tang. She said the party would inform its allies, numbering around 50, of the decision.
'We think Henry Tang puts more emphasis on economic development, while Leung Chun-ying fares not as well as Tang,' said Lau, a lawmaker. 'Since the Liberal Party is dedicated to supporting economic development, we think [Tang] shares a vision close to ours.
'Another consideration is that [Tang] has a track record. In the past, he did listen to some of our ideas on economic development policies and put them in force,' she said.
Tang helped found the party before joining the administration in 2002 as secretary for commerce, industry and technology.
The other two main pro-establishment groups - the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and the Federation of Trade Unions - have yet to endorse a candidate. They hold 147 and 59 votes respectively in the Election Committee.