Hong Kong set for contested leadership poll

Hong Kong looks set for a contested chief executive election next year as the region's democracy lobby performed well in the poll to form the panel that will choose the next leader, the South China Morning Post reported. A total of 114 of the 137 candidates put forward by the Civic Party, Democratic Party and their allies won seats on the Election Committee. It is thought that they, plus some politically unaffiliated lawmakers on the committee, will be sufficient to provide Civic Party legislator Alan Leong with the 134 votes needed to secure nomination. Leong has no chance of becoming chief executive as Beijing sympathizers make up the bulk of the 800-member committee. But he said the results showed the public's desire for a contested race with proper policy debates.