ABSTRACT

After 15 years of governance under the Tung Chee-hwa and Donald Tsang Administrations, the 2012 HKSAR Chief Executive election turned a new page in Hong Kong’s politics. The election was an unprecedented three-way race with the two pro-government candidates – the former Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen and the former Convenor of the Executive Council Leung Chun-ying – fighting fiercely against each other, and the no-hoper Albert Ho Chun-yan from the pro-democracy camp running to press for constitutional reforms ( The Standard, 2012a, 1 March). The result of the election held on 25 March 2012 was seen as a “divisive poll”: within the 1,200-member Chief Executive Election Committee, Leung Chun-ying received 689 votes, Henry Tang received 285 votes, Albert Ho received 76 votes and 82 papers were declared invalid ( South China Morning Post, 2011a, 8 April).