Hong Kong chief executive election 2022: unsuccessful leadership hopefuls express mixed emotions over city’s one-man race
- Contender Titus Wu says Hong Kong’s chief executive election has ‘become the laughing stock of the world’
- Early entrant Checkley Sin praises John Lee as more suitable for job, says he decided to step down despite securing enough nominations to run
Several chief executive hopefuls who failed to secure the required backing from pro-Beijing members of the nomination committee have claimed they were reluctant to meet them, with some expressing frustration over the lack of competition in the Hong Kong’s leadership poll.
“This has become the laughing stock of the world,” said 57-year-old businessman Titus Wu Sai-chuen, who revealed two months ago that he intended to run. “There have been all these talks about democracy and freedom, and yet we have just one candidate.”
But others, such as film producer Checkley Sin Kwok-lam, said they were happy to step aside to make room for the city’s former No 2 official, John Lee Ka-chiu, whom they found more suitable for the role. Lee was the sole hopeful to enjoy the backing of Beijing.
Sin, 62, claimed that he had collected enough nominations to run but decided not to proceed, without elaborating.
The Electoral Affairs Commission announced on Thursday that Lee was the only hopeful, out of eight who expressed an intention to run, who secured enough nominations to enter the May 8 election for the chief executive. At least 188 are needed from the 1,454-strong Election Committee, and Lee had the backing of 786.