THERE is not much doubt who will be declared the next leader of Hong Kong on March 26th: Carrie Lam, who until recently was the head of the territory’s civil service. That is because the Communist Party in Beijing prefers her. The “election committee”, which will make the decision, is stacked with people who will bow to the party’s will. Far more in doubt is whether Mrs Lam will command public support. Her main rival for the job is trying to show that he has more of it. If he is right, that will matter hugely: Hong Kong will soon get a new leader, but also, very probably, more of the social unrest that has beset a series of unpopular ones.
Three candidates had secured the minimum of 150 nominations that were needed from the nearly 1,200-member committee by the March 1st deadline. Mrs Lam was far ahead of the pack, with 580 backers. The man widely seen as her most credible rival, John Tsang, who was Hong Kong’s financial secretary until recently, secured 165. The third, Woo Kwok-hing, a retired judge, got 180 nominations. But most observers expect Mr Woo to be eliminated in the committee’s first round of voting.
The Communist...Continue reading
Source: China http://ift.tt/2lYQL5o
EmoticonEmoticon