Opposition Hong Kong lawmaker Emily Lau (
Lau, an outspoken critic of the former British colony's Beijing-backed government, said she may run to highlight the lack of democracy in a city where top leaders are effectively selected by mainland China.
"It would inject some kind of transparency into the small-circle election," Lau told reporters. "It would hopefully force some kind of debate."
An election committee of 800 Beijing loyalists will gather on July 10 to select the city's next chief executive. The by-election was forced after former leader Tung Chee-hwa (
His deputy Donald Tsang (
Lau said she and fellow democrats agitating for full democracy in the enclave of 6.8 million people did not want to see a repeat of the last election when Tung ran unopposed.
"It was revolting, it was humiliating," said Lau. "We do not want to see anything like that again."
She faces an uphill struggle, however. First she will have to convince her own party, The Frontier, to drop its opposition to what it calls small-circle elections.
She will also seek the opinions of human rights groups and other non-governmental organizations that form her power base. Most difficult of all, however, she must be nominated by at least 100 members of the election committee.
"It's unlikely I will be nominated -- you need the support of tycoons and Beijing for that," Lau said. "But as a prospective candidate in the meantime I can at least draw some attention to the election."
Last week the leading democratic organization, The Democratic Party, said it would enter a protest candidate.
Democrats' deliberations come as controversy swirls over a decision to cut short the term of the next chief executive. Tsang announced after Tung's resignation that the government had decided the winner of the July 10 poll will serve only the remaining two years of the former leader's term.
Critics said the decision was in violation of the southern Chinese enclave's post-1997 handover constitution, which provides that all chief executives serve for five years.
RESTAURANT POISONING? Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang at a press conference last night said this was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan An autopsy discovered bongkrekic acid in a specimen collected from a person who died from food poisoning after dining at the Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said at a news conference last night. It was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said. The testing conducted by forensic specialists at National Taiwan University was facilitated after a hospital voluntarily offered standard samples it had in stock that are required to test for bongkrekic acid, he said. Wang told the news conference that testing would continue despite
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
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