Hong Kong chief executive election 2022: 700-plus nominations for leadership hopeful John Lee spark ‘bad precedent’ concern
- Tik Chi-yuen, sole non-establishment member on powerful Election Committee, says he wants to know what former No 2 official stands for
- Number of endorsements secured by Lee so far has exceeded his team’s target of 500
With more than 700 nominations pouring in for Hong Kong chief executive hopeful John Lee Ka-chiu even before he has worked out his election platform, observers have raised concern that the trend could set a bad precedent for future polls.
Tik Chi-yuen, the sole non-establishment member on the powerful Election Committee tasked with selecting the city’s leader, insisted on Tuesday he would hold back on his endorsement before knowing what Lee stood for.
The nomination period will end on Saturday, but hopefuls only have until Thursday to submit their forms because the electoral office will be closed on the Easter holiday starting on Friday.
By Tuesday night, Lee has secured more than 700 nominations for his candidacy – far beyond the 188 needed to qualify. The figure surpassed his campaign office’s earlier target of at least 500 nominations from the 1,454-strong Election Committee.
Tik, the only member on the committee with a pan-democratic background, said on Tuesday he found it hard to nominate Lee without having read the former No 2 official’s detailed election platforms. He had attended an online meeting hosted by Lee with committee members.