Hong Kong district council election: John Lee expects ‘fierce competition’ in coming poll, despite lack of opposition candidates

Hong Kong’s leader has said he expects to see “fierce competition” in the coming district council election despite the absence of opposition candidates, with the new system ensuring only top “patriotic” hopefuls will come out ahead.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday touted the revised electoral system after opposition hopefuls failed to secure enough nominations to stand in the election on December 10. Some pro-establishment candidates had also complained of difficulties involving the overhaul process.

Candidates were required to obtain nine nominations from members of area committees before the deadline on Monday. Authorities later said they had logged a total of 399 endorsements gathered by contenders.

Speaking to the press before his weekly meeting with key decision-making body the Executive Council, the city’s leader said: “The purpose is to select the best people … You have to convince the public and ensure they agree you are qualified and competent to serve the district.”

“Those securing the nominations should be capable people who truly love their country and Hong Kong,” he said.

He also called on unsuccessful hopefuls to self-improve, so nominators and voters would consider them suitable to serve the community.

The coming election will see 171 candidates, drawn from pro-establishment groups or running as independents, compete for 88 directly elected seats across 44 geographical constituencies. Some 4.3 million registered people are eligible to vote in the poll.

Alongside the 88 seats returned by popular vote, 176 spots will be decided by 2,500 members of district-level committees stacked with Beijing loyalists.

Lee will select 179 district councillors and the remaining 27 will be held by the chairs of rural committees from the city’s districts.

Another 228 hopefuls will run for the 176 seats made up by the district committee constituencies, with Lee saying he expected intense competition.

No Hong Kong opposition groups in district poll with nominations hard to find

The chief executive said the election candidates came from diverse backgrounds spanning various ethnic groups and professions, while including veteran community leaders and young aspirants “determined to serve”.

“This reflects the improved system’s universality and diversity,” Lee said.

The Democratic Party, the city’s largest opposition group, on Monday said none of its six hopefuls had managed to secure enough endorsements despite efforts to contact nominators.

Some pro-establishment parties also said the new system had posed hurdles.

Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun’s Roundtable party saw only one of its five hopefuls met the nomination threshold, while a single candidate among seven fielded by pro-Beijing think tank Path of Democracy had made the cut.

Hong Kong’s Lee warns district council hopefuls nominations not ‘at your fingertips’

However, Lee argued the system was fair and applied to everyone whether they belonged to “any political parties or not” and regardless of their background.

“I think that is most important, the system has to be fair and applies to everybody in the same way, he said.

“That is the most important principle for all elections to be considered – fair and equal application. A candidate will have to respect the decision of the person he seeks the nomination from … it is up to you to ensure that you can convince the person you want to convince.”