Outspoken democrat Anson Chan (
But analysts warned that while Chan -- a former No. 2 in the government during both British and Chinese rule -- was an expert in administration, she would need to hone her political skills to gain allies and influence Beijing.
Chan, 67, dubbed "Hong Kong's conscience" for championing civil liberties, swept past her closest rival, former security chief Regina Ip (
PHOTO: AFP
Ip, who was backed by Beijing-allied parties but remembered for attempting to push through a deeply unpopular anti-subversion bill, shocked many by taking 43 percent of the votes.
The race was one of the most closely watched and fiercely battled elections since the territory was returned to China a decade ago, as both camps tried to turn it into a referendum on the pace of democratic reform.
"The result of this election indicates that Hong Kong people are anxious to put forward democracy. We think we're all ready to implement universal suffrage in 2012," the date of the next election for the territory's leader, Chan said in her victory speech early yesterday, before popping the cork on a bottle of champagne.
Analysts said that the win was a much-needed fillip for the pro-democracy camp who lost heavily in last month's district elections to the Beijing-friendly conservatives. But some warned Chan against taking too hard a line against Beijing in her push to hold the central government accountable.
"Right now, Beijing views Anson Chan with suspicion. It doesn't know her political motives," said James Sung (宋立功), a political academic at City University.
"When she was not in government, she could criticize Beijing's role in Hong Kong affairs as it didn't matter ... But now she's moved one step forward into government, into the political area, and that's what worries them," he said.
"Her first task will be gaining Beijing's trust and to do that she needs to tone down the fighting spirit that got her elected," he said.
Beijing has not commented on Chan's victory.
Chan was the first woman and the first ethnic Chinese to rise to chief secretary for administration, the No. 2 government post, under British rule. She continued in the post when the territory was handed back to China in 1997, but stepped down in 2001.
Chan's victory did allay some fears that political reform had fallen off the agenda amid an economic upswing in the territory.
"I think it shows that a lot of middle class people in Hong Kong still care about democracy, even though the economy is getting better, the stock market is rising, and the economy is more dependent on China," said Ma Ngok (
"This is something that Beijing needs to think about," Ma said.
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