The numbers all add up for Carrie Lam in Hong Kong leadership race

Front runner Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s chief executive election campaign received another boost on Monday as two pro-Beijing parties endorsed her for the top job.

Their support means the former chief secretary, seen as Beijing’s preferred choice, has secured more than the 150 nominations needed to enter the race from members of the 1,194-strong Election Committee that will pick the city’s next leader.

With the formal nomination process opening on Tuesday, the only question now is how many more she will garner and whether she will top 800, a number once reported to be the target of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong.

The landslide for Lam also begs the question: is it game over for her arch-rival John Tsang Chun-wah?

On the first question, a ballpark estimate by the Post found Lam would comfortably secure at least 400 nominations, and that’s without taking into account some business subsectors, district council members and several social sectors, which have yet to make public their stances.

A closer look at the sums shows that Lam’s major backers will be from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, which has recommended its more than 100 committee members opt for Lam. Another party, the Business and Professionals Alliance, made the same call to its 20 representatives.

Once the candidates get through the hoop of clearing the 150 requisite nominations, the committee will select from them the city’s leader on March 26.