Hong Kong’s leadership election will take place on May 8 as scheduled, according to city Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who dismissed media rumours that it will be postponed a second time owing to a significant COVID-19 outbreak.
Unlike prior years, no front-runner for the top job has emerged at this late stage, adding to the uncertainty about the financial hub’s future as Beijing continues to impose its dominance.
The former British colony has had four chief governors since 1997, all of whom have tried to match the democratic ambitions with the vision of China’s Communist Party authorities.
During a press conference, Lam repeatedly declined to say if she would seek re-election to a second five-year term, but she did say that the election arrangements will remain the same, despite media reports that Beijing might postpone the vote until next year.
‘The nomination period will begin on Sunday,’ Lam stated, ‘and the election will take place on May 8.’
Lam has been accused for the government’s widely criticised handling of a major COVID surge in recent months – after the success of the city’s ‘zero-COVID’ efforts throughout much of the pandemic – which some opponents argue has harmed her chances.
The chief executive will be chosen by a 1,500-member election committee filled with Beijing loyalists, with all contenders having to obtain enough support from these members during the nomination period, which runs through April 16.
The election was originally scheduled for March 27, but it was postponed until May 8 to give the authorities more time to deal with the COVID outbreak, which has infected over one million of the city’s 7.4 million residents.
Lam dodged multiple queries about whether she had an emergency meeting with a top Chinese leader, Xia Baolong, on Friday to discuss electoral procedures, claiming that some diary appointments were private.
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