The leader of Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing party said the result of Sunday’s Chief Executive Election Committee poll showed that the professional sector has become politicised when voting for their representatives.
Starry Lee Wai-king, chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), made the remarks during an interview on Tuesday morning as she was asked to comment on the high number of seats won by the pro-democracy camp.
“It has become apparent that voters no longer consider the candidates’ qualifications, experience or contribution to the sector, but candidates’ political stance [when they cast the ballot],” she said. “This has become the new norm. From our perspective, of course this is a worrying situation.”
She said she believed that some younger voters cast their ballots for pro-democracy candidates because they were not content with Hong Kong’s political future and the election method for the chief executive.
The polling results on Monday showed the pro-democracy camp gaining landslides in at least six sectors of the Election Committee. The camp eventually won over 326 of the 1,200 seats, a significant improvement from 2011, when it won just over 200. The committee will eventually go to elect the city’s next chief executive in March next year.
Lee said the result was in line with her party’s expectations.
The chief executive election takes place on March 26. The only candidate who has declared his candidacy thus far is retired judge Woo Kwok-hing. Financial secretary John Tsang announced his resignation from his post on Monday and is expected to enter the race soon, while lawmaker Regina Ip is expected to launch her bid this Thursday.
