There has been more intense competition for the coming Legislative Council election amid an unprecedented level of uncertainty, with neither a “blessing list” nor a “sure win” scenario for any candidate, according to a commentary posted by Beijing’s top office for the city’s affairs.
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The piece, reposted by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) on Monday night, marked Beijing’s latest attempt in recent weeks to stress that there were no candidates being endorsed by central authorities in the December 7 poll.
The commentary, which first appeared in the pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao, said there would be “tougher” competition in the coming poll than in previous elections, with a “diverse” range of candidates providing “a real choice” for voters with higher expectations.
“There is neither any so-called blessing list nor ‘sure-win list’,” the article read. “A characteristic of this election is ‘no one is confident and everyone has a chance’, with an unprecedented level of uncertainty.”
The article urged residents to exercise their voting rights and not to give up their ballots.
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As of Monday, 160 people had submitted their nomination forms for the December 7 race, the second held under Beijing’s “patriots-only” electoral reform. Races will take place across geographical and functional constituencies as well as the Election Committee constituency, with none to be returned uncontested.