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Tsang launches Hong Kong leadership bid
2005-06-01
HONGKONG/BEIJING - China's cabinet has approved the resignation of Hong Kong interim leader Donald Tsang, paving the way for him to run for the city's top political job in tightly controlled, limited elections in July.Sources say Beijing has already selected Tsang as Hong Kong's next chief executive and hopes his strong public opinion ratings and administrative skills will help deflect calls for more democracy in the tiny territory. Shortly after Beijing's announcement, the career civil servant formally launched his bid for leadership of one of the world's leading financial centres, which Britain returned to China in 1997. "The State Council has approved my resignation, so my campaign for the office of chief executive has formally begun," Tsang told a huge media crowd at the lobby of his campaign office, adding he would hold a news conference later on Thursday. "At the briefing, I will outline my own personal philosophy and the programme of activities during my campaign," he said. Tsang has been acting chief executive since the unpopular Tung Chee-hwa resigned in March, citing poor health. Tsang quit last week because under Hong Kong law, government officials must resign if they wish to run for chief executive. Hong Kong's leader is not popularly elected, but selected by a Beijing-sanctioned electoral college of 800 people. Two legislators -- one of them the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party -- are also bidding for the top post but they stand no chance of winning. CAMPAIGN MACHINE Still, Tsang has hurled himself into his election campaign. He has formed a campaign team that is studded with prominent former government colleagues and engaged the services of two public relations firms. According to local press reports, he has also met key representatives of the electoral college to garner support. Beijing loyalists, some of whom have previously expressed misgivings about Tsang's ties with the former British colonial government, have closed ranks and pledged support for him. Even electors from more liberal professions, such as social workers, who earlier said they would back one of Tsang's rivals, have appeared to change their minds. Pundits believe Tsang wants to prevent his rivals from even clinching the 100 electoral college nominations that they require to stand against him on July 10. If he is able to do so, he will enjoy an automatic victory when nominations close on June 16. But political analysts wonder how much of a free hand Tsang will have as the city's next leader. Beijing has restricted Tsang's term to only two years and has ensured that Tung's original team of cabinet ministers remains unchanged. They also say it remains to be seen if Tsang can successfully keep a lid on aspirations for more democracy. Results of a government-commissioned survey released on Wednesday found that 50 percent of respondents thought human rights conditions in Hong Kong had worsened since the handover and 59 percent felt the city's leader and all its lawmakers must be popularly elected as soon as possible. Only half of the city's 60 lawmakers were popularly elected in 2004 and the remaining 30 were picked by special interest groups which are mostly pro-Beijing. Reuters
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