The front-runner in Hong Kong's leadership race appeared to be cruising to an early victory yesterday as rival candidates struggled to collect enough nominations to get their names listed on the final ballot.
Since Hong Kong doesn't have full democracy, leading candidate Donald Tsang (
The flamboyant Tsang -- known for his colorful bow ties -- has been so successful in schmoozing the panel that it's likely he'll stand uncontested on July 10 when the committee is scheduled to pick the next leader. That's because his rivals are widely expected to fall short of the 100 nominations they need to get on the final ballot.
Ming Pao Daily News and the South China Morning Post reported yesterday that Tsang already has won 650 nominations -- a tad short of the roughly 700 he needs for an automatic win. He's expected to gather the rest of his nominations by the June 16 deadline.
The people on the election committee come from several different constituencies, industries and interest groups. Some represent the education, social welfare, health care, and legal sectors. Lawmakers also get to vote along with leaders in the religious and business communities.
But the body is dominated by members who are loyal to Beijing and is unlikely to select a leader -- or chief executive -- who might push hard for full democracy -- something China's leadership has opposed. Hong Kongers were also barred from electing their leaders during British rule, which ended in 1997.
Tsang has had good ties with the pro-democracy camp, but it's unlikely he'll risk roiling Beijing with bold political reforms. He's known more for following orders -- a trait that helped him rise through the British ranks and continue to succeed after the handover to China.
A policeman's son without a university degree, Tsang was named financial secretary in 1995, becoming the first ethnic Chinese to hold the job in 150 years of British rule. He was named a knight of the British Empire in the final days of British rule. He was the deputy to Hong Kong's former leader, Tung Chee-hwa (
He insisted this weekend that candidates who don't get 100 nominations aren't backed by the public. "It means they don't get the support of the Election Committee and recognition from the Hong Kong people," he said.
Tsang's opponents -- pro-democracy lawmaker Lee Wing-tat and ex-convict legislator Chim Pui-chung -- have criticized the front-runner for refusing to join public debates. They have said this has made the election unfair, and pro-democracy groups planned to hold a protest later yesterday.
Tsang has said he would only debate candidates who have won enough nominations to stand for the final selection on July 10.
Pro-democracy lawmaker Emily Lau (
"Since Beijing has anointed Mr. Tsang, most members of the election committee have to offer him their support willy nilly," Lau said.
"In this modern age, the Hong Kong people should have the right to elect their government by universal and equal suffrage," she said.
When Shanghai-based designer Guo Qingshan posted a vacation photo on Valentine’s Day and captioned it “Puppy Mountain,” it became a sensation in China and even created a tourist destination. Guo had gone on a hike while visiting his hometown of Yichang in central China’s Hubei Province late last month. When reviewing the photographs, he saw something he had not noticed before: A mountain shaped like a dog’s head rested on the ground next to the Yangtze River, its snout perched at the water’s edge. “It was so magical and cute. I was so excited and happy when I discovered it,” Guo said.
TURNAROUND: The Liberal Party had trailed the Conservatives by a wide margin, but that was before Trump threatened to make Canada the US’ 51st state Canada’s ruling Liberals, who a few weeks ago looked certain to lose an election this year, are mounting a major comeback amid the threat of US tariffs and are tied with their rival Conservatives, according to three new polls. An Ipsos survey released late on Tuesday showed that the left-leaning Liberals have 38 percent public support and the official opposition center-right Conservatives have 36 percent. The Liberals have overturned a 26-point deficit in six weeks, and run advertisements comparing the Conservative leader to Trump. The Conservative strategy had long been to attack unpopular Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but last month he
Chinese authorities said they began live-fire exercises in the Gulf of Tonkin on Monday, only days after Vietnam announced a new line marking what it considers its territory in the body of water between the nations. The Chinese Maritime Safety Administration said the exercises would be focused on the Beibu Gulf area, closer to the Chinese side of the Gulf of Tonkin, and would run until tomorrow evening. It gave no further details, but the drills follow an announcement last week by Vietnam establishing a baseline used to calculate the width of its territorial waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. State-run Vietnam News
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
RSS