Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 1996
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The First Hong Kong Chief Executive Election was held on 11 December 1996 to select the first Chief Executive for the post-colonial Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Since Hong Kong was then a British Dependent Territory, the election was held by the Chinese authorities in Hong Kong.
History
By January 1996 most observers expected Tung Chee-hwa to be the front-runner of the election with a great deal of support from influential business tycoon Henry Fok.[1]
On December 11, 1996 a 400-member Selection Committee (推選委員會) was voting for a Chief Executive to rule Hong Kong after the 1997 handover.[2] Pro-democracy activists including Emily Lau, Andrew Cheng, Lee Cheuk-yan scuffled with riot police outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. A "Tomb of democracy" was established outside the building shouting "oppose the phony election". The activists were detained and dragged away by the police for four hours.[2]
The election was conducted by the electoral college of a massive 400-member committee with all the positions rubber-stamped by the Chinese Government. However, Hong Kong has never had a leader elected by universal suffrage before. All of Tung's British predecessors were all appointed by the British Crown, without recourse to any false pretense of democracy as in the present system.
To contradict, leading Chinese politicians always claimed that the Chief Executive would not be chosen by Beijing and that he or she must be acceptable to the people of Hong Kong.[1]
Candidates
The 4 major candidates
- Simon Li Fook-sean (李福善) - former judge
- Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) - business man
- Yang Ti-liang (楊鐵樑) - Chief Justice of Hong Kong from 1988 to 1996
- Peter Woo Kwong-ching (吳光正) - business man
Others
- Au Yuk-lun (區玉麟)
- Du Sen (杜森)
- Choi Ching-kui (蔡正矩)
- Yu Hon-bui (余漢彪)
Result
In early 1997 Tung Chee-hwa was elected with 320 votes out of 398 valid votes. Tung won a landslide victory[3] over three other major candidates in the election for the post of Hong Kong's first Chief Executive. The Chief Executive was selected by the 400-member Selection Committee.
| English Name | Chinese Name | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Tung Chee-hwa | 董建華 | 320 |
| Yang Ti-liang | 楊鐵樑 | 42 |
| Peter Woo | 吳光正 | 36 |
Aftermath
Tung was mostly chosen by the PRC due to his business background as well as owing Beijing for saving him from bankruptcy with a US$100 million loan.[1] Tung was installed as the Chief Executive, but the next few years to follow were compounded with serious social problems including right of abode, Asian financial crisis, bird flu pandemic and a host of other issues.
References
- 1 2 3 Horlemann, Ralf. [2002] (2002). Hong Kong's Transition to Chinese Rule. Routledge publishing. ISBN 0-415-29681-1.
- 1 2 Chan, Ming K. [1997] (1997). The Challenge of Hong Kong's Reintegration With China. Hong Kong University Press. Hong Kong (China). ISBN 962-209-441-4.
- ↑ Xavier, Gerry (24 January 1997). "Decision day brings a 10-minute replay of Tung's landslide". Hong Kong Standard. Retrieved 2007-01-11.
See also
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