Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp wins a quarter of seats in Election Committee, which picks the chief executive

The pro-democracy camp wins 20 per cent more over the 2011 elections, especially in the legal, information technology, health, welfare and architectural subsectors. Still, most on the Election Committee are pro-Beijing.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) – Hong Kong’s pro-democracy bloc won a surprising victory in the elections for the Election Committee (EC), taking 300 seats out of 1,200.

The EC is the electoral college that selects Hong Kong’s chief executive, not the electorate at large, as most Hongkongers have demanded for years. The 1,200-member EC includes about 400 members named by the government (and Beijing).

The pro-democracy group won big in the legal, information technology, health, welfare and architectural subsectors. Compared to 2011, it took 20 per cent more seats. Turnout also rose by 20 peer cent over 2011.

The pro-Beijing camp, which includes ex officio members, still retains the majority, but it is also divided - at least for now – over what candidates to pick, many of whom are from the outgoing administration.

Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah is planning a bid for the chief executive post after Leung Chun-ying said he was stepping down for family reasons. A second candidate is Chief Secretary Carrie Lam. Former Secretary for Security Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a staunchly pro-Beijing official who has advocated tough security legislation, is also vying for the job.

In short, the choice for the new chief executive will be among pro-Beijing candidates. The election is scheduled for July 2017.

• hong kong
• mainland china
• chief executive
• election committee
• pro-democracy
• pro-beijing