HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s election season officially begins Sunday, and despite a near-two month delay in proceedings because of a COVID-19 crisis, it’s still wildly unclear who actually wants the city’s top job.
That’s about to change. Contenders now have two weeks to declare their candidacy and secure at least 188 votes from the committee of 1,500 largely pro-Beijing electors — or 0.02% of the population — who’ll decide the financial hub’s next leader on May 8.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam invoked emergency powers in February to postpone the election planned for March 27, amid an omicron outbreak that resulted in Hong Kong logging the highest virus death rate per capita in a developed country, because of its under-vaccinated elderly.
