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Hong Kong guessing game: why is Beijing still silent on the chief executive race? And does Carrie Lam have its backing?
- Insider says electoral office had been preparing to announce nomination period early this month when ‘Beijing abruptly asked us to hold everything’
- Finance chief Paul Chan, lawmaker Regina Ip and ex-leader CY Leung among names that have surfaced as possible candidates while Carrie Lam has not indicated whether she will run
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Why you can trust SCMP
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As speculation on Hong Kong’s next chief executive mounts, an announcement of the traditional two-week nomination period has been delayed along with the release of polling guidelines in a move to reduce bickering within the pro-establishment camp, sources have told the Post.
The sources said Beijing told the city’s government to delay these announcements even as it signalled to insiders it would prefer to see a contest rather than a one-person show on March 27, the designated election day.
In previous contests, candidates were known well in advance, with campaigning beginning as early as six months before the polls.
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In the last race, the government also announced the nomination period at least seven weeks before it commenced, on December 23, 2016, for candidates to throw their hats into the ring from February 14 the following year while the poll was held on March 26.
At a press conference at the end of last month, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor – who has not indicated if she would run again – said the nomination period for the leadership race would start on February 15.
But an insider at the Registration and Electoral Office told the Post last Friday that the date was not official until it was gazetted.
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