Candidates make final pitches

Legislative candidates made their final appeals to voters yesterday in a fiercely contested political showdown that could give pro-democracy opposition figures the most clout they've had since Hong Kong was returned to China.

Politicians sought to rally supporters as they wrapped up a campaign marred by sex and money scandals, and by allegations that Beijing had launched an orchestrated intimidation drive to sway votes away from the pro-democracy camp.

Today rank-and-file voters will directly pick 30 of the territory's 60 lawmakers. The other half are chosen by a relatively small group of special interest voters, such as business leaders, doctors and accountants, who tend to back pro-Beijing candidates.

Pro-Beijing politicians were campaigning hard yesterday on Hong Kong Island, hoping to knock out the territory's best-known opposition figure, Democratic Party lawmaker Martin Lee (李柱銘), in what polls showed to be one of the tightest races.

The chairman of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, Ma Lik (馬力), was stumping for votes after returning just two days earlier from mainland China, where he has received treatment for colon cancer.

"It's a very tight race," Lee acknowledged. "I'm doing my best to go for it."

Lee brought in help from a popular former radio host, Albert Cheng (鄭經翰), who is expected to win a seat of his own in another district. Cheng is one of three radio hosts who went off the air in May, allegedly after receiving threats over their pro-democracy stances in one of the biggest controversies surrounding the political season.

Hong Kong election officials have promised that today's polling will be free and fair.

The mass-circulation tabloid Apple Daily urged the public to turn out and back pro-democracy candidates.

"Tomorrow we can use our votes to continue the cry for democracy, to urge the central government to address and value our democratic aspirations," Apple Daily editorialized.

"How can we just let such an opportunity slip by?" the editorial said.

Pro-democracy candidates, viewed as troublemakers or even "traitors" by Beijing, are expected to win most of the popular vote, but to fall short of a legislative majority under rules critics say are unfair.

Beijing is nervously watching the outcome.

Although its political foes are unlikely to get a legislative majority, analysts predict the pro-democracy camp might end up with about 25 to 28 seats -- up from 22 now.

That would be enough to cause problems for Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華), if the opposition can attract enough swing votes to bog down government legislation.

The political atmosphere in Hong Kong has been highly charged since 500,000 people stunned Beijing and Hong Kong leaders by turning out on July 1 last year to march against an anti-subversion bill viewed as a threat to freedoms. Tung had to withdraw it, but voters responded by punishing pro-Bei-jing politicians with a huge defeat in November local council races.

Many Hong Kongers have been clamoring for the right to directly pick their leader in 2007 and all lawmakers in 2008, but Beijing stirred a public outrage by ruling it out -- a decision expected to create a backlash against China's allies in the election.

Critics said Beijing had violated its agreement to leave Hong Kong with a great deal of local autonomy after Britain returned the territory to China in July 1997.