2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive election

1054: 1471:(LSD) formally announced his Chief Executive bid on 8 February through a "civil nomination" mechanism conducted by post-Occupy group Citizens United in Action, in which he would seek to secure 37,790 votes from members of the public, one per cent of the city's registered voters before he would canvass for the nominations from the Election Committee. He explained his decision was to urge the pro-democrat electors not to vote for any pro-establishment candidate who could not represent the pro-democracy camp at all even if they view as "lesser evil", as some democrats had inclined to support John Tsang, the relatively liberal pro-establishment candidate to prevent hardliner Carrie Lam from winning. He also aimed to reflect the spirit of the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the voice of those low-income people. His bid was supported by four radical democrat legislators 5117:, the unused backup polling station, two notebook computers storing the name list of the 1,194 Election Committee members and personal data of all 3.78 million registered voters were reported as lost. The incident was investigated by the police as theft, but the whereabouts of the lost computers remained unknown. The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) posted letters of apology to all affected voters, stating the personal data was "protected by multiple encryptions" which were "extremely difficult to break through". Nevertheless, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data received more than 900 complaints in the following days. When questioned by legislators, Chief Electoral Officer Wong See-man explained that the full database was to confirm the eligibility of the 1,194 electors and admitted that the computers were left unattended. 2726:. Some 507 of the 1,194 election committee members attended the forum. The three candidates took 21 questions from the floor, 19 of which were from the democrats as the pro-Beijing electors did not submit their questions. Lam made a dig at John Tsang's "paperless office" when he was in office as Financial Secretary – an implication of Tsang's laid-back working style. Tsang retorted by saying that it was more important to "work smart" than "work hard". John Tsang also mocked Lam by stating that she would be a "three-low" Chief Executive with low popularity, low energy and low legitimacy. Woo criticised Tsang and Lam for passing the buck on the incumbent government's mistakes. Political scientist Ivan Choy said Tsang was the best performer although Lam also made big progress. According to a poll conducted by the 1334:(BPA), as well as Import and Export subsector and Sports and Culture sub-subsectors, Lam was estimated to grab more than 500 nominations. In contrast, despite topping the public opinion polls, John Tsang was speculated to have secured fewer than 100 nominations. Tsang stated "here is no reason for me to believe that the central government does not trust me," as pro-Beijing electors felt pressured if nominate him amid the speculation that he was not Beijing's choice. Regina Ip was speculated to hold about 20 nominations from her New People's Party, while Woo Kwok-hing, who had not revealed any electors' endorsement, repeatedly said he was confident in receiving enough nominations. 1121: 358: 2847:, the final stop on his half-day bus parade on Hong Kong Island. Around 3,500 showed support at the rally, while some 449,000 people watched the rally on his Facebook page and more than 18,700 comments were left on the page. Film director Johnnie To, Tsang's wife Lynn and his former political assistant Julian Law Wing-chung were among the six guests who spoke at the rally. In Tsang's speech, he said: "We are here to show our love for this city of ours ... I hope the Election Committee members, who have the power to vote, would heed our call and heal the rift, and make Hong Kong the home we imagined it should be." He also made a reference to the 2715: 2924: 1608:(CPPCC) said in a closed-door meeting that Beijing may not appoint Tsang as Chief Executive even if he wins the election. He said this was the reason he asked Carrie Lam to run in the election in order to prevent an "embarrassing situation". 30 electors of the Legal subsector in the Election Committee expressed "deep concerns" about Tung's comments in a joint statement, stating that "such action undermines the fairness of our Chief Executive election and shows a callous disregard for the aspirations of most Hong Kong people to have free and fair elections without ignorant and insensitive interference." 2821: 408:, but in 2007 ruled that the 2017 Chief Executive election "may be implemented by the method of universal suffrage". On 31 August 2014, however, the NPCSC imposed the nebulous condition that "the Chief Executive shall be a person who loves the country and loves Hong Kong" and that the process of selection of two or three candidates by an undemocratic nominating committee continue. The pan-democrats viewed the restrictive nominating process as a violation of international standards for free elections, as candidates unsupportive of the central government would likely be screened out. The " 1772: 1449: 664: 1216: 3713: 9343: 2175:. Any candidate that secured 37,790 votes, one per cent of Hong Kong's registered voters, from the general public would be a "civil candidate" in a "civil referendum" to be held from 10 to 19 March. On 13 February, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data issued a statement concerning the "existing privacy risks" of the organisers collecting personal data. In response to that, the organisers updated their system afterward and extended the nomination period until 28 February. 589: 511: 776: 104: 1300: 619: 8544: 2077: 804: 30: 97: 1255: 111: 5069: 466: 1895: 725: 1251:

media gathering on 17 January, "n the past ten years I started from nothing, working hard bit by bit, splashing out my own money, putting in much mental and physical effort. Can you say I had not taken on responsibilities for Hong Kong society? When I handled Article 23, I did not perform satisfactorily?" Ip's remarks came after Leung Chun-ying praised Lam for her "ability and willingness to take on responsibility".

541: 2016: 1742:(HKPTU) also backed Tsang with its 35 nominations from the Education and Higher Education subsectors. The other sectors where Tsang received the most nominations included Information Technology, where he bagged 21 of the 30 nominations. He also received half of the nominations from the Medical subsector. Tsang was criticised by pro-Beijing media and politicians for accepting support from the pro-democracy camp. 1094:, for not doing much in the last decade. Tsang responded by saying that "if one can be idle at it for 10 years, has quite a bit of talent." He refused to clarify if he would run, only stating that it was "heaven's secret". Leung Chun-ying, who was expected to seek a second term, also unleashed a thinly-veiled attack on Tsang, suggesting ministers should be "responsible" and focus on the upcoming 1291:(MTR). A similar gaffe followed shortly thereafter when it was reported that Lam did not know convenience stores do not sell toilet paper and had to take a cab back to her former official residence to get one, which was dubbed "loo paper-gate" by English media. She was further under criticism for being ignorant after giving HK$ 500 to an illegal beggar who was allegedly "trafficked" from China. 2866:’s (CPPCC) subcommittee on foreign affairs and member of Carrie Lam's campaign office. He accused Tsang of being "an agent of pan-democrats" with United States backing when he chose to ignore Beijing's signals against his running for the Chief Executive. Lo also wrote that Beijing does not trust Tsang because of his "lack of principle on major issues", namely the Occupy protests and 1274:

Chun-ying's hardline and divisive policies, Tsang described himself as a good listener accepting of different views. He appealed to "all 7.35 million Hongkongers so that together we can make Hong Kong a better place." Retired senior civil servant former Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service Rebecca Lai Ko Wing-yee and former Permanent Secretary for Food and Health

1235:. Some pro-Beijing politicians saw this as a sign that Lam was the central government's favoured candidate, as Tsang had resigned a full month before Lam. Lam officially declared her candidacy on the same day, promising good governance with greater transparency and "new blood" in her cabinet, at a press conference in which she was joined by Executive Councillor 5183:, issued a critical statement, warning that Beijing's clear interference in the election demonstrated the precipitous erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy. "If Hong Kong is to become just another mainland Chinese city under the new Chief Executive's leadership, we will have to reassess whether Hong Kong warrants special status under U.S. law," the statement said. 7364: 1871:

urged "a certain candidate" not to ask for additional backing since that person had secured more than enough nominations already. She attributed her failure to the restrictive selection process of the 1,200 structure of the Election Committee membership as she was "squeezed out" by the Beijing-supported Lam and democrat-supported Tsang and Woo.

7958: 2694:, saying that people fear society will have "split 2.0" if Lam wins. Lam challenged Tsang for advocating a progressive profits tax, an idea he had opposed during his office as Financial Secretary. Lam also dropped a bombshell by stating that she would resign if her position was contrary to mainstream public opinion. Former candidate 4841:(FTU), although refused to nominate Lam for her unsatisfying labour policies, decided they would all vote for Lam. Financial Services elector Ricky Chim Kim-lun who nominated Tsang switched side to Lam a day before the election, endorsing Lam with 16 other electors of the subsector. Another Tsang supporter, Thomas Wu, son of tycoon 5502: 7280: 2637:(HKPTU) in which all three candidates met on the same stage for the first time. The candidates took turns to answer questions from the electors as well as some 400 educators in the audience. Carrie Lam said she is a victim of "white terror" in response to online attacks on her, as well as on her supporter actress 2183:

rest of them online. Leung stated that his being able to collect more than 20,000 nominations with personal contact information and identity card numbers had proved that "civil nomination" is achievable. None of the candidates received the minimum number of 37,790 in the "civil nomination" as a result.

1106:. He went on by asking "will the land and housing problems that have accumulated become easier to solve under a new leader or government? Will the cabinet continue to touch on vested interests in the property market with courage and determination, and amid difficulties, to solve the housing problems?" 5105:

There was also a counter-protest of about 1,200 pro-Beijing supporters clad in red outside the HKCEC to voice their support for Lam and the government. Many of them mingled and chatted in Mandarin and various dialects, displaying banners bearing the names of the organisers, the residents associations

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and a few electors from business sectors. Ip also gained a nomination from a pro-democrat elector from the Accountancy subsector, who wished to send Ip into the race to split Lam's votes. However, as Lam aimed to grab more than 600 nominations, Ip faced an uphill battle to secure her nominations. She

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In response to controversy surrounding her lack of a full election platform, Lam revealed a manifesto titled "Connecting for Consensus and A Better Future" on 27 February, two days before the nomination period ended. The platform focused on reforming the government structure and boosting the economy,

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On 14 December, Woo Kwok-hing became the first one to unveil his electoral platform under the slogan of "Good Heart, Right Path, Bright Future for Hong Kong". He proposed to expand the electorate base for choosing the Election Committee from the current 250,000 to one million in 2022, rising to three

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targeting them. Tsang also met with the general public while campaigning in the streets. On contrary, Lam received largely negative comments on social media. According to analysis by the WiseNews electronic data base, 57.8 per cent of internet comments about Tsang were supportive, with only 10.7 per

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who pledged to only enter the race if he received enough civil nominations announced he would not run for the Chief Executive, as he only secured 20,234 nominations from the general public, about 17,000 fewer than the threshold. Among the 20,234 nominations, 13,440 were collected in public while the

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aimed at securing more than 600 nominations to project herself as a clear winner before the secret ballot. Lam dominated in the business and politics sectors, winning three-quarters of the votes in the business sector, but failed to receive any nomination from the pro-democracy camp. The pro-Beijing

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made an emergency plea for support after getting just three nominations on the first day of the nomination period. As the "Democrats 300+" planned to nominate John Tsang and Woo Kwok-hing to boost the competitiveness of the election, Woo gradually received nominations from pro-democrat electors. Six

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Carrie Lam dismissed speculation that the Liaison Office had been canvassing for her behind the scenes, saying that she did not see any evidence or the need for the Liaison Office to lobby for her. Lam later added that she has no power to tell the Liaison Office not to lobby the electors to vote for

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In a closed-door meeting with senior media executives on 20 January, Lam reportedly said she decided to run to prevent the election from being won by someone not accepted by Beijing, which would cause "constitutional crisis". Woo Kwok-hing criticised Lam for using a "despicable tactic" to attack her

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Being the only one of the four candidates who had not published an election platform, Carrie Lam held a press conference titled "WeConnect: Manifesto Step 2" on 13 February, one day before the nomination period, to reveal some details of her manifesto, including boosting education spending to HK$ 5

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On 12 January 2017, Carrie Lam resigned from her Chief Secretary post (having at some point previously renounced her British citizenship, which would have excluded her from running) and announced her plan to run for Chief Executive if her resignation was approved. In a closed-door meeting, she laid

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agreed to take either "major reference" from the result or to completely follow it. On 12 March, Tai's team received a last-minute notification that Polytechnic University Students' Union couldn't provide room for the polls due to pressure from the university. Tai called it a "political decision".

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earlier expressed reservations about Lam's proposed labour policies, although it was seen as Lam's strategy to reserve her strength. The same happened with the pro-Beijing-dominated Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association and Hong Kong and Kowloon District Councils subsectors, which commanded 73

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became the first pro-democrats to decide to nominate Woo, on 15 February. 46 pro-democracy members also decided to nominate Woo subsequently. After Tsang received enough nominations, pro-democrat electors turned to nominate Woo. On 27 February, Woo became the second candidate to be nominated, with

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As Lam declared her candidacy and Tsang was expected to run, political analysts observed that Regina Ip's chances of getting the minimum 150 nominations were reduced. Ip revealed that two or three electors, including Allan Zeman, had turned their backs on her to support Lam. A teary-eyed Ip told a

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actively lobbying for her, attracted 580 nominations, almost half in the Election Committee and only 21 votes short of winning the final election, while Tsang and Woo received 165 and 180 nominations respectively, most of which came from the pro-democracy camp which consisted of about 320 members.

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Carrie Lam submitted a total of 579 nominations on 28 February, and submitted an extra one on the next day, just 21 votes short of the final number needed to win the race. Although she was widely seen to have secured more than a minimum number of 150 nominations in the early stage, she reportedly

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complained the election had "lost its shape" due to the increasing interference of "an invisible hand". He revealed that many of the 1,194 Election Committee members had received phone calls asking them to nominate certain candidates. Tien did not disclose the name of the candidate backed by the

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On 5 February, Woo Kwok-hing updated his election platform, including the implementation of the Basic Law Article 22, which states that no mainland authorities can interfere in Hong Kong internal affairs. On the next day, John Tsang unveiled his 75-page election platform entitled "Convergence of

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had reportedly informed senior editors of the local pro-Beijing newspapers that Carrie Lam was Beijing's preferred candidate, and had actively lobbied for Lam. The senior editors were told to "gradually devote more extensive coverage" to Lam. However, several political observers, as well as the

1345:, despite being the former top aide to Carrie Lam, also showed support for Tsang in a Facebook video. Under the campaign slogan of "We Connect", including the catchphrases "We Care, We Listen, We Act", Lam's campaign rally was attended by nearly 800 pro-Beijing figures and tycoons from both the 1337:

Hours before Carrie Lam's large-scale election rally on 3 February, John Tsang launched a crowdfunding website. The website went down within minutes due to overloading. The public responded actively, with more than one million Hong Kong dollars being raised in just the first few hours. Former

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John Tsang officially declared his candidacy on 19 January with a slogan of "Trust, Unity, Hope", after more than a month-long delay in the acceptance of his resignation by the central government, which put his campaign in limbo. To contrast himself with Lam, who was perceived to follow Leung

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based on the common platform of opposing Leung Chun-ying's second term, many of whom adopted the slogan "ABC" (Anyone but CY). The camp decided not to field a candidate in the election, but rather boost the chances of an alternative establishment candidate. On 9 December, two days before the

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became director and officer of Tsang's campaign office respectively, despite a number of his supporters switching to Lam's camp amid reports suggesting he failed to get endorsement from Beijing. Tsang also launched his election Facebook page, which drew more than 100,000 likes in a day.

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Out of Tsang's total of 165 nominations, 127 came from the pro-democracy camp. Five pro-democracy electors from the High Education subsector became the first pro-democrats to nominate Tsang, followed by Democratic Action Accountants, handing 17 nominations to Tsang. On 16 February, the

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Regina Ip also said in an interview that someone claiming to have close relations with Beijing had offered to compensate her with top posts at the NPC or the CPPCC if she quit the race, but she had refused the offers, stating that she was not interested in any "consolation prize".

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After days of candidates meeting with the Election Committee members from different sectors to canvass at least 150 nominations in order to enter the race, by 27 January multiple reports speculated that Carrie Lam had already secured 300 to 400 nominations.

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Hearts, Proactive Enablement", with the promise of revisiting Article 23 national security legislation and political reform. Other policies included introducing a progressive profit tax, developing New Territories North and East Lantau and abolishing all

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There were reports that central government officials had given a "red light" to John Tsang running in the election and had allegedly asked John Tsang not to run more than ten times, including rumours of him being offered the deputy governor post at the

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On 18 June 2015, the Legislative Council rejected the electoral reform proposal 28 votes to 8, with 33 principally pro-Beijing legislators absent in a whip failure. The selection method and procedure thus remained unchanged from that employed in 2012.

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opponents. Lam's campaign office later clarified that Lam was only making a general comment without targeting anybody in particular. She was also criticised for being out of touch with ordinary people after she appeared unfamiliar with how to use an

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withdrew from the election, conceding the number of nominations hours before the nomination deadline on 1 March, for the second time after her 2012 bid. She received a number of nominations "far behind what was needed", despite backing from her

1207:(HKMAO), laid out four basic criteria for the next Chief Executive in an interview with a pro-Beijing magazine: loves China, loves Hong Kong, who Beijing can trust, and capable of governing and supported by the Hong Kong people, in that order. 1167:

Regina Ip received the New People's Party's endorsement on 14 December and resigned from the Executive Council on the next day. She announced her candidacy on 15 December under the campaign slogan "Win Back Hong Kong", the same one used in her

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Despite Leung's announcement, the pro-democrats still managed to win record 325 out of 1,200 seats in the Election Committee election, more than a quarter of seats with a surge of the turnout nearly 20 percentage points higher than that in the

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Pro-Beijing sectors such as 60-seat Agriculture and Fisheries and 26-seat Heung Yee Kuk which nominated Lam declared they would also vote for Lam in the final election. 14 electors of the 15-member Performing Arts sub-subsector, except for

4821:. Li Ka-shing, following his son, broke his silence to express support for Carrie Lam, saying he would vote for a candidate trusted by Beijing. He said he was optimistic that the split in the city could be healed, like the Chinese goddess 2689:

on 14 March 2017. All three candidates received questions from members of the audience and journalists and also directed their questions at each other. Tsang criticised Lam for being "CY 2.0", the second version of the divisive incumbent

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on 12 and 19 March. The referendum was said to engage the general public, which lacks the right to vote. The public was asked to pick "support, oppose or abstain" for each of the three candidates. The 325-member "Democrats 300+" on the

1804:(DAB), which commanded over 100 votes, also endorsed Lam. However, instead of bundling their votes the two parties allowed their electors to freely nominate any candidate. Some DAB legislators did not nominate Lam at the end, including 10290: 5751: 2785:

in the polls. Tsang continued becoming a social media sensation, posting videos of his supporters from the sectors endorsing him including a clip where he cooked and had meal with his core supporters directed by film director

2859:– Occupy happened near this place in more than two years ago, but I hope our rally today can give a new meaning to this place. I hope you will remembere that on 24 March 2017, we gathered here for the unity of Hong Kong." 8420: 5896: 1547:

who has launched months-long headline editorial attacks on the Liaison Office, said the Liaison Office does not reflect Beijing's wishes on the matter as the election has become part of the power struggle within the

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Public Opinion Programme (HKUPOP) after the forum, 62 per cent out of the 717 respondents said they would vote for Tsang if eligible after watching the forum, against 24 per cent for Lam and seven per cent for Woo.

10234: 5677: 5655: 2167:, launched the "CE Civil Referendum 2017" to engage the general Hong Kong population, who had no vote in the election. It conducted a "civil nomination" online, from 7 to 22 February, in co-operation with the 10244: 10077: 1843:, had refused to back any candidate despite alleged Liaison Office pressure. "But I would definitely cast my vote," Li said. "You would offend people by nominating but no one would know who I voted for ." 4721: 4056: 5830: 5364: 4248: 9425: 1231:

out an eight-point "achievable new vision" for Hong Kong and told participants that God had called on her to run. On 16 January, the two Secretaries' resignations were simultaneously approved by the

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election, Leung surprisingly announced he would not seek re-election, citing his daughter's ill health, which made him the first Chief Executive to serve only one term. After Leung's announcement,

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staff began to be harassed and stalked by unknown individuals. A residence of a staff member was also splashed with red paint and threatening leaflets were thrown around the staff members' homes.

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received only 21 votes, receiving the lowest votes a Chief Executive candidate ever had. The turnout rate was 99.33 per cent. Of the 1,186 ballots cast, 19 were blank votes and four ballots were

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also reportedly decided to vote for Lam. One day before the election, Lam had already looked assured of winning on paper, by securing about 750 ballots from the 1,194-member Election Committee.

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with Chow, despite Chow having not endorsed Lam's candidacy. She was also criticised after one of her campaign staffers said she was "too tired" to make the trip to visit the community in

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surprisingly announced he would not run for a second term. Both resigned from their posts in the government. Despite leading in the polls, Tsang struggled to receive nominations from the

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became the first female Chief Executive by winning 777 votes in the 1,194-member Election Committee, 197 votes more than the nominations she received from the EC and 88 more votes than

1621: 68: 1796:(CGGC) which commanded the 18-seat Commercial (Second) subsector became the first chamber to declare it would hand all its nominations to Lam on 8 January. The two pro-Beijing parties 10046: 4834: 1939: 1801: 1323: 968: 870: 10280: 9669: 1583:, were in Shenzhen to meet with some Election Committee members from the major business chambers and political groups. It was reported that Zhang told the electors that the 6271: 3601: 9721: 8255:

Chief executive-elect Carrie Lam received her appointment order from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday morning to serve as Hong Kong's next leader, beginning July 1.

5685: 5663: 8192: 4869:'s 689 votes from the last election. She also became the first Chief Executive elected without being the most popular candidate and the first to be graduated from the 1572: 1349:

and Leung Chun-ying camps in the last election. She also revealed a star-studded campaign team, which included a council of chairpersons consisting of Ronald Arculli,

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in Shenzhen where Zhang persuaded the Lis to back Carrie Lam. Richard Li subsequently endorsed Lam in an interview published in three Chinese-language newspapers –

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in accordance with democratic procedures" have not been implemented, the progress to universal suffrage has been the dominant issue in Hong Kong politics since the

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Following the experience of conducting the "civil referendum" in the previous election in 2012, the pro-democracy group Citizens United in Action led by

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announced its seven legislators would nominate Tsang, making it the first time a pro-democratic party nominated an establishment candidate. Pro-democrat

1103: 7940: 7922: 7904: 7679: 6638: 6235: 6127: 1087:, a 2012 candidate who did not receive enough nominations, expressed her interest in running for the second time. She criticised a potential candidate, 10108: 7817: 7781: 7715: 7586: 7346: 6602: 6512: 6398: 6366: 1923: 1144:, who previously said she would retire, expressed that she would have to reconsider running for Chief Executive in order to continue Leung's policies. 6830: 6416: 3432: 7856: 6584: 6312: 5725: 5194: 3378: 1927: 1915: 1797: 1331: 886: 7328: 7211: 6109: 5080:

After the announcement of Lam winning with 777 votes, citizens ridiculed the number on social media as the word "seven" in Cantonese, pronounced as

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A two-hour forum was co-organised by a group of Election Committee members from both the pro-democracy and pro-Beijing camps on 19 March 2017 at

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told the electors at a meeting in Shenzhen that John Tsang was the contender with the least support from the central government. Few days later,

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Chan, F. (2019). "Digital Representation in an Electoral Campaign Influenced by Mainland China: The 2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive Election".

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One day after the election, the Department of Justice charged nine Occupy protests leaders of public nuisance offences, including the three

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There were a few forums organised during the nomination period, including a public forum organised by D100 Radio on 19 February attended by

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million by 2032 and eventually quasi-universal suffrage. His attendees included Andy Ho On-tat, former information coordinator during the

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also decided to vote for Tsang. The 24 pro-democracy legislators also issued a statement saying they had "no basis of mutual trust" with

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The rally was held after Tsang faced a fresh round of criticism from veteran Beijing loyalist Lo Man-tuen, who was vice-chairman of the

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About 65,000 people voted with 96.1 per cent of respondents opposing Carrie Lam, while John Tsang received 91.9 per cent of the votes.

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her in an interview. She admitted that it would be counterproductive if the public believed a "visible hand" was behind the election.

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in return for not running. Tsang refuted such claims, only saying that there were "friends" who supported him and some who did not.

1495:, while the mainstream pro-democrats cast doubt over Leung's candidacy, believing it would contribute to the victory to Carrie Lam. 1076:, questioning his achievements during his term, while Woo was being questioned for his lack of experience in public administration. 10453: 10393: 10008: 9951: 9919: 9307: 9204: 1319: 8540: 6692: 5094:, around 200 protesters also gathered outside the venue protested against the "small-circle election". A group of protesters from 5086:, is often used as a vulgar term associated with stupidity. Some pro-democracy members of the Election Committee protested in the 10341: 9946: 9778: 9726: 9631: 8595: 8585: 8580: 8575: 8570: 8565: 6812: 1152:

in 2011. After the election, the two potential candidates, John Tsang and Regina Ip, resigned from their Financial Secretary and

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Individuals listed below were mentioned as potential 2017 Chief Executive candidates in at least two reliable media sources.

413: 9565: 5272: 2888:, which was considered a smear on "one country, two systems", in addition to his "laid-back" working style. Chief Executive 10448: 10418: 9855: 6531:"Carrie Lam opts for 'we connect' as campaign slogan, promising to break stalemate, overcome division in Hong Kong society" 4838: 1813: 1525: 1327: 10506: 10305: 10082: 9961: 9819: 9705: 9597: 9544: 9447: 8732: 8727: 8722: 8717: 8712: 8707: 8702: 8692: 8687: 8682: 8677: 5215: 5180: 2164: 1919: 1793: 1169: 572: 8343: 1839:, also decided they would hand in all their nominations to Lam, although Li's father, Hong Kong most influential tycoon 10346: 9367: 9013: 9008: 9003: 8998: 6776: 5466: 5321:

Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive in 2017 and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2016 Consultation Document

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cent were against him. As for comments on Lam, 83.4 per cent were against her. She was criticised for manipulating the

2740: 2156: 1943: 1220: 1204: 1138: 1008: 500: 377:(EC) which is divided into various subsectors and dominated by pro-Beijing politicians and tycoons. Since the terms of 271: 8381: 10435: 10185: 10036: 9966: 9829: 9793: 9652: 8993: 8988: 8983: 8978: 8973: 8968: 8963: 8958: 8953: 8948: 8943: 8938: 8933: 8928: 8923: 8918: 8913: 8908: 8903: 8898: 8893: 8888: 8883: 8525: 8488: 6465:"No reason for Beijing to mistrust me, Hong Kong leadership contender John Tsang says, as he takes aim at arch-rival" 6367:"Hong Kong may face constitutional crisis if winner of chief executive race not accepted by Beijing, says Carrie Lam" 6092:"Retired judge Woo Kwok-hing first to officially throw hat in the ring for Hong Kong's 2017 chief executive election" 5319: 4748:

Some 98 per cent of the 325-member "Democrats 300+" coalition, consisting of around 290 votes, decided on voting for

4488: 2396: 1867: 1303: 1080: 763: 744: 9134: 9124: 9119: 9114: 9109: 7857:"Beijing 'doesn't trust John Tsang because he ignored its warning not to run' in Hong Kong chief executive election" 6567:"John Tsang walks thin line as he promises both political reform and revisiting of Article 23 in election manifesto" 1626:

The nomination period ran from 14 February to 1 March 2017. A minimum number of 150 nominations from members of the

1239:, director of her campaign office. The chairman's council of her campaign office included prominent figures, former 1132:

Professionals and activists formed a loose coalition called "Democrats 300+" hoping to snatch over 300 seats in the

10496: 10465: 10428: 10372: 10326: 10270: 10219: 10175: 9357: 5524: 5107: 2871: 2760: 2172: 1442: 1259: 972: 914: 869:

Other minor candidates included insurer Jenny Kan Wai-fun, Vincent Lau Chi-wing, barrister Albert Leung Sze-ho, ex-

839: 758: 653: 278: 6718: 6548: 5918: 1714:

also nominated Tsang, making Liberal Party the only pro-Beijing party to nominate Tsang. Thomas Wu, son of tycoon

10460: 10285: 9892: 9736: 9549: 9377: 9297: 9263: 8669: 5577:"'Let's wait and see': Legislative Council president keeps Hong Kong guessing on possible run for city's top job" 2756: 1088: 9674: 10440: 10423: 10362: 10331: 10275: 10224: 10192: 10154: 10051: 9925: 9788: 9679: 9636: 9570: 9442: 9227: 9101: 9086: 9081: 9076: 9071: 9066: 9061: 9056: 9051: 9046: 9041: 9036: 9031: 8610: 4001: 1951: 1856: 1452: 1266: 1232: 1181: 1153: 930: 378: 304: 289: 72: 8211:"Timing under debate as nine Occupy participants charged a day after Carrie Lam wins chief executive election" 6603:"Chief executive hopeful Carrie Lam pledges HK$ 5 billion for education, tax cuts and housing task force" 3809: 1694:, Tsang struggled to seek nominations from the pro-Beijing camp and had to rely heavily on the pro-democrats. 10295: 10249: 9149: 6073: 4796: 2896: 2790:, as well as reading out negative comments made about him, a tactic reminiscent of the popular American show 1963: 1564: 1504: 8398: 7723: 6200:"Pro-democracy camp takes record quarter of seats on Election Committee that will choose Hong Kong's leader" 4296: 10310: 10113: 9982: 9418: 9312: 9217: 8556: 8518: 4761: 2904: 2748: 2100: 1959: 1852: 1735: 1580: 1185: 1070: 981: 958: 905: 332: 263: 5419: 10129: 9941: 9657: 9237: 6639:"'Don't ask us to quit': Chief executive hopeful Regina Ip stands firm on candidacy in overcrowded field" 5636: 2641:. John Tsang refuted Lam, saying that online comments are not "white terror" but suppression on dissent. 2490: 1095: 357: 1069:

became the first candidate to declare his campaign. He launched an offensive campaign against incumbent

10501: 10137: 10067: 9987: 9956: 9887: 9762: 9256: 9232: 8498: 8352: 8271: 7818:"Hong Kong leadership race contender Carrie Lam meets Tin Shui Wai community after 'too tired' comment" 6741:"I cannot prevent Beijing's 'visible hand' from campaigning for me, says leadership hopeful Carrie Lam" 6585:"'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung enters chief executive race, urging allies not to vote for 'lesser evils'" 5149: 5099: 4811: 2867: 1746:

said that Tsang now clearly represented the pan-democrats while an editorial in the Beijing mouthpiece

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and budget rather than thinking about joining the race. Leung also argued, "will those pushing for the

935: 823: 308: 8330: 7329:"Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing breaks habit in refusing to back anyone for chief executive race" 4756:

in the nomination period including the 11 Progressive Engineering electors. The pro-democracy parties

2747:

again launched a "civil referendum" for this election, ranging from 10 to 19 March through online app

2046:, IT Vision, Land5cape 2016, Legal, O Superpower, Progressive Engineering, Together for Social Welfare 1120: 10229: 10003: 9809: 9483: 9023: 5342: 4769: 2481: 1695: 1512: 1339: 1022: 939: 7095:"Chief executive hopeful John Tsang wins first significant nominations from Hong Kong pan-democrats" 2805:’s Emeritus Professor Nelson Chow Wing-sang after posting a video of her visiting elderly people in 2714: 8369: 5095: 5091: 4584: 1812:. Contrary to observers’ expectations, the Labour subsector, which is dominated by the pro-Beijing 1472: 1386: 1240: 8024: 6887: 6674: 5445: 5201:, on 1 July 2017, the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Special Administrative Region. 2702:

said that Tsang won the debate while Woo was clearly not prepared. On the other hand, commentator

2617:’s supporter. In the debate, Lam tried to distance herself from unpopular current Chief Executive 10180: 10013: 9834: 9689: 9332: 9322: 9283: 7134:"Buck for Hong Kong ministers does not stop with bosses, chief executive hopeful Carrie Lam says" 6946: 6417:"Leadership hopeful Carrie Lam under fire after giving HK$ 500 to beggar 'trafficked' from China" 6236:"Regina Ip declares her entry into leadership race with pledge to enact controversial Article 23" 4870: 4777: 2923: 2848: 2802: 2752: 2727: 2168: 2134: 2129:, Ho Pak-leung, Ronnie Ho Pak-ting, Ip Hing-cheung, Kwan Ka-lun, Kelvin Lau Chi-to, Lee Yu-ming, 1699: 1549: 990: 417: 362: 352: 8193:"No one was guarding election computers before they disappeared, chief electoral officer admits" 7984: 7941:"No names, but Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing drops heavy hint he backs Carrie Lam as next leader" 7882: 7763: 7516: 7468: 7438: 7408: 7306: 7255: 7159: 7072: 7046: 7024: 6998: 6976: 6913: 6831:"Fairness of Hong Kong chief executive poll under threat from ex-leader's comments, lawyers say" 6490: 6442: 6253: 6182:"Hong Kong's Carrie Lam 'will reconsider' joining chief executive race after CY Leung backs out" 6018: 5878: 5781: 5485:"The Chief Executive race and discussion with Regina Ip, Election Committee Subsector elections" 2820: 2133:, Luk Wang-kwong, Mak Suet-ching, Man Ka-leung, Ng Ming-him, Jason Shum Jiu-sang, Tang Wai-yee, 1265:

launched his campaign on 19 January 2017 after his long-awaited resignation was approved by the

10300: 9913: 9824: 9528: 8548: 7230:"Carrie Lam dwarfs the competition, enters Hong Kong chief executive race with 579 nominations" 5072:

Pro-democracy electors protested at the polling venue with a yellow umbrella, representing the

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The highest government office of Hong Kong, the Chief Executive, is selected by a 1,200-member

245: 230: 153: 148: 143: 9248: 7587:"Lam says she is a victim of 'white terror', as Hong Kong chief executive candidates face off" 7212:"CE contender Carrie Lam secures first political party endorsement for Hong Kong's leadership" 6867:"Leadership hopeful Regina Ip rejects Beijing's 'consolation prize' job offers, stays in race" 5082: 4344: 2910:

reportedly arrived in Shenzhen to meet with electors from different sectors to lobby for Lam.

2609:

was absent from the debate, as it was speculated that Tsang saw convenor of Path of Democracy

10336: 9897: 9850: 9523: 9502: 9382: 8393: 6164:"Hong Kong's pan-democrats hope to play 'kingmaker' in election to choose city's next leader" 5250: 2884: 2718:

All three candidates attended the election forum organised by the Election Committee members.

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faced an uphill battle to garner nominations after Lam and Tsang announced their candidacies.

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stop what they are doing? Will those insulting their own country shut up?", referring to the

1028: 986: 926: 882: 8229:"Pan-democrats missed chance by not joining election race, Hong Kong's outgoing leader says" 7923:"Hong Kong's richest man, Li Ka-shing, and sons talked into voting for Carrie Lam as leader" 7782:"John Tsang backed by almost 92 per cent of voters in mock poll for Hong Kong's next leader" 2601:

The first election forum after the nomination period was held on 5 March 2017 by think tank

10018: 9731: 9499: 9476: 8250: 8007:"Hong Kong chief executive candidate Carrie Lam gets enough votes on paper to win election" 7697: 7490: 6620: 6399:"Carrie Lam says she could lose Hong Kong chief executive race in showdown with John Tsang" 6330: 6295:"Carrie Lam aims to 'reignite' Hong Kong as she officially announces candidacy for top job" 5996: 5554: 5145: 2108: 1500: 1288: 995: 103: 8133:"i-Cable films Carrie Lam election day supporters being paid HK$ 600 each to attend rally" 7546: 5304:

Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

5297: 2063:, Tsang Yuk-ting, Tung Chung-yin, Haster Wu Ka-yi, Raymond Yeung Chi-leung, Yeung Tak-yu, 1771: 8: 10367: 6759:"State leader Zhang Dejiang meets Hong Kong politicians and business leaders in Shenzhen" 6349:"John Tsang to officially announce chief executive bid despite no clear nod from Beijing" 5110:

programme filmed many of these pro-government protesters being paid to attend the rally.

2685:

A two-hour televised debate co-organised by seven electronic media outlets took place at

2200: 2171:

Public Opinion Programme (HKUPOP) and the Centre for Social Policy Studies (CSPS) of the

2056: 1848: 1686:

became the first candidate to submit his nominations. Amid the alleged pressure from the

1543: 1448: 1018: 1004: 964: 901: 6621:"Unity trust hope – Tsang enters CE race with three-word message to fix 'torn-apart' HK" 2882:

that challenged Beijing's authority" and even expressed appreciation for the local film

9783: 8059: 5048: 3270: 2844: 2832: 2765: 2472: 2103:, Doctors for Democracy, Health Professionals for Democracy 30, Hearts of Accountants, 1637: 1627: 1226:

announced her candidacy on 16 January 2017, and was seen as Beijing's preferred choice.

1215: 1184:

with "suitable measures". Her campaign launching rally was attended by former colonial

954: 944: 831: 663: 390: 386: 374: 8095: 8077: 7905:"Pan-democrats pledge more than 290 votes for John Tsang in Hong Kong leadership race" 7604: 6657:"Carrie Lam may be Beijing's choice, but Hong Kong still needs a fair leadership race" 5615: 5317: 4697: 4673: 4392: 4200: 4104: 3953: 3857: 3405: 110: 9279: 8063: 7569:"Hong Kong leadership hopefuls lock horns at first debate, but John Tsang stays away" 6384: 6036: 5701:"Antony Leung Kam-chung has chance at chief executive job, says Frederick Ma Si-hang" 5073: 4846: 2792: 2602: 2289: 1935: 1719: 1189: 96: 8313: 8171:"Gov't will post 3.2m letters of apology to voters about missing election computers" 1322:(NTAS) stated that they inclined to nominate Lam. Together with pro-Beijing parties 10159: 8051: 4783:

Hong Kong's richest man and an influential figure in the Hong Kong business circle

1552:

in which the Liaison Office tries to keep its grip on Hong Kong. In late February,

1275: 750: 646: 493: 300: 168: 163: 9468: 6313:"Keeping continuity in Hong Kong politics without the hardline is a balancing act" 5164:

reiterated that the decision was independently made by the Department of Justice.

2706:

said none of the three was able to deliver a knock-out blow to emerge the winner.

1816:(FTU), also returned only five out of its 60 nominations to Lam as its legislator 9327: 8494: 8388: 8376: 8347: 8267: 5161: 4866: 4008: 3763: 3712: 3439: 2889: 2840: 2839:

Ahead of the 26 March election, Tsang held a rally on the evening of 24 March at

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had been the most vocal supporter of Tsang since the beginning of the election.

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The Chief Executive race started as early on 27 October 2016 when retired judge

10377: 9757: 8276:庆祝香港回归祖国20周年大会暨香港特别行政区第五届政府就职典礼1日上午在香港会展中心隆重举行。中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席习近平出席并发表重要讲话。 6849:"Regina Ip says Beijing offered her top jobs to quit Hong Kong leadership race" 5114: 2856: 2723: 2638: 2468: 2155:

The pro-democracy group Citizens United in Action, which was formed to promote

2126: 1972: 1809: 1711: 1378: 1342: 1244: 1032: 640: 562: 487: 8247:"Carrie Lam receives Hong Kong leadership appointment from Premier Li Keqiang" 8055: 1459:

announced his candidacy through the "civil nomination" campaign on 8 February.

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The two front-runners, Lam and Tsang, emerged after incumbent Chief Executive

10480: 9664: 9372: 9342: 8467: 8428: 8340: 8152:"Hong Kong gov't loses computers with personal data of all registered voters" 7746:"Organisers of mock poll to pick Hong Kong leader hope one million take part" 7698:"Famous last words – Final election face off in front of just 507 EC members" 5172: 5032: 4974: 4878: 4800: 4776:

also declared her backing for Tsang, while the other party honorary chairman

4753: 3749: 3027: 2956: 2900: 2622: 2272: 2196: 2064: 2020: 1947: 1825: 1817: 1776: 1764: 1755: 1743: 1722:, was among the only tycoon to nominate Tsang, although his father nominated 1706:

earlier on 19 January, stating that he would nominate Tsang. Liberal Party's

1657: 1601: 1568: 1426: 1418: 1374: 1315: 1210: 1066: 1058: 588: 547: 324: 285: 133: 6888:"Nomination period for Chief Executive Election starts on February 14, 2017" 4833:

who nominated Tsang, decided to vote for Lam. The largest pro-Beijing party

4795:, previously believed to be Tsang supporters, reportedly shared a meal with 1172:. She called for a relaunch of the electoral reform process under Beijing's 9457: 9412: 9407: 6128:"Retired judge pulls no punches as he launches bid for Hong Kong's top job" 5339:"Full text of NPC decision on universal suffrage for HKSAR chief selection" 5246: 5157: 5153: 5141: 5133: 5129: 3784: 3770: 2852: 2810: 2806: 2130: 2060: 2000: 1988: 1984: 1976: 1591: 1532: 1499:

billion, tax cut to small- and medium-sized enterprises, and creating more

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The Umbrella Movement: Civil Resistance and Contentious Space in Hong Kong

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as he was the most popular candidate in the polls, many of whom supported

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also slammed his former subordinate's lack of concrete plans for housing.

2621:, dismissing suggestions by Woo that she was "Leung Chun-ying 2.0", while 1855:

into two, but did not make any promise on relaunching electoral reform or

510: 9397: 9387: 5176: 4882: 4784: 4773: 4757: 3791: 2907: 2628: 2362: 2122: 2118: 2039: 2004: 1996: 1840: 1805: 1768:

180 of nominations, almost all of them came from the pro-democracy camp.

1760: 1748: 1707: 1576: 1488: 1394: 1362: 1358: 1354: 1193: 1109: 948: 775: 7347:"Carrie Lam's election manifesto focuses on economy, government reforms" 5106:

of their mainland home cities, such as Guangzhou, Xiamen and Shanwei. A

4877:

received 365 votes, 200 more than he received in the nomination period.

2076: 1299: 618: 9362: 8461: 8444: 7641:"Hong Kong leadership race rivals point fingers over records in office" 5395:"Hong Kong Students to Boycott Classes If Democracy Demands Aren't Met" 5198: 5190: 5137: 4952: 4923: 4874: 4862: 4817: 4792: 4765: 4749: 4656: 4651: 3742: 3735: 2951: 2946: 2824: 2787: 2782: 2778: 2614: 2610: 2606: 2296: 2265: 2258: 2081: 1899: 1851:, establishing a Culture Bureau and a new Tourism Bureau, and dividing 1784: 1780: 1723: 1703: 1691: 1683: 1667: 1647: 1484: 1434: 1406: 1390: 1370: 1346: 1262: 1223: 1141: 1091: 803: 625: 472: 320: 316: 281: 274: 241: 128: 122: 7800:"John Tsang wins Hong Kong leadership battle ... at least on Facebook" 1061:

became the first candidate to declare his campaign on 27 October 2016.

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calling for "genuine universal suffrage" were held in response to the

9684: 9402: 9392: 8543: 8484: 5726:"Henry Tang says Antony Leung 'qualified' to run for chief executive" 5242: 5125: 4842: 4830: 4788: 3756: 2744: 2695: 2204: 2160: 2138: 1980: 1862: 1836: 1727: 1715: 1492: 1480: 1414: 1410: 1398: 1366: 1350: 1306: 1084: 730: 7623:"Three Hong Kong chief executive candidates to spar in media debate" 1254: 4805: 3777: 2686: 1992: 1382: 1180:(NPCSC) on 31 August 2014. She also pledged to enact controversial 6513:"Chief executive hopeful John Tsang launches crowdfunding website" 5090:(HKCEC) and demanded genuine universal suffrage. Organised by the 5068: 1894: 1590:

During the nomination period, it was reported that HKMAO director

1048: 465: 6218:"Woo unveils platform, says he is confident of being shortlisted" 5941:"It's Leung's turn for some home truths in illegal structure row" 5453:

Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Gazette

2797: 2699: 2211:

Schedule of the 2017 Chief Executive election debates and forums

1445:(TSA) and Basic Competency Assessment (BCA) tests, among others. 1156:

posts on 12 and 15 December respectively, being expected to run.

724: 5971:"Hong Kong's divisive leader to step down amid political crisis" 4835: