More than 300 hopefuls sign up for Hong Kong’s Election Committee poll

More than 300 people signed up for Hong Kong’s Election Committee poll as the nomination period opened on Wednesday, vying for seats on the body that chooses the city’s leader.

The nomination period for committee subsectors for the November 22 election will run until October 20. The 1,500-member body will select Hong Kong’s next chief executive in March next year.

The Registration and Electoral Office received 305 nominations for candidacy on Wednesday. It also received two nominations from designated bodies proposing members for the Election Committee.

Registered subsector voters will elect up to 982 representatives to the committee. They will join 362 ex officio members and 156 members nominated by designated bodies.

Hopefuls submitted nomination forms throughout the day, including heavyweights from various sectors. But they all said it was premature to comment on the next chief executive race.

Clement Chan Kam-wing, chairman of the Consumer Council who is running for a seat in the accountancy subsector, said he would push for Hong Kong to strengthen its position as an international financial hub.

Wai Chi-sing, former managing director of the Urban Renewal Authority, is contesting a seat in the engineering subsector and said the next chief executive should address the need for better alignment between the Northern Metropolis and older urban districts.

Renowned filmmaker Derek Yee Tung-sing and Hong Kong table tennis team coach Li Ching formed part of a 15-member team contesting the sports, performing arts, culture and publication subsector.

They declined to say whether the team would support current leader John Lee Ka-chiu should he run for a second term.

Wong Po-kee, honorary deputy secretary general of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, only said: “We will work hard to win voters’ support. We will talk about the future later.”

In the labour subsector, the Federation of Trade Unions put forward 46 representatives, including former lawmakers Aron Kwok Wai-keung and Michael Luk Chung-hung.

The Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions also nominated 12 members to stand in the subsector, which has 60 seats.

A coalition of 14 educators signed up to contest the education subsector, calling on prospective chief executive candidates to address teaching staff shortages and demographic changes.

The 1,500 members will be responsible for nominating and selecting the city leader next March and electing 40 of the Legislative Council’s 90 members in 2029.

The committee comprises five sectors representing 40 subsectors, ranging from commercial, financial and professional groups to labour unions, district representatives and Hong Kong representatives on national bodies.