Hong Kong elections: why the next chief executive may no longer be known by 3 digits, such as ‘689’ for CY Leung, or Carrie Lam’s ‘777’
- Figures representing votes won in leadership race may increase under a system shake-up that starts with Sunday’s Election Committee polls
- Insiders note new framework with ‘elements of election’ to fill body with patriots, while critics say only pliant elites now allowed into governing circle
In the first of a three-part special, the Post looks at the lead-up to the Election Committee polls this Sunday, with pro-Beijing insiders hailing the selection process so far as a success, noting two more major polls for the city are likely to follow this formula of controlled competition. Read part two and three.
Hong Kong residents have a well-known habit of giving nicknames to their leaders.
If the tradition continues, then the sobriquet for the leader to be chosen in March will run into four digits after Beijing overhauled the city’s electoral system, sources told the Post.
The changes have sharply increased the influence of the pro-government camp in the Election Committee, which has grown by 300 seats – making them kingmakers in a new “patriotic” sector.
The revamp would all but ensure most votes would go to the central government’s favoured candidate, the pro-Beijing insiders said. In a nutshell, there will be no split within the pro-establishment camp and absolutely no chance of an opposition bloc playing its hand to side with one candidate, as had happened in previous polls.