The confirmation was announced by Justice Pang Kin-kee, the returning officer, after vetting the nomination form Tung handed in at noon yesterday. Tung's nomination form carried the signatures of 706 members of the 800-strong Election Committee, 702 of them verified as valid so far.

The number of votes in favor of Tung has effectively, on the basis of the election rules, assured the incumbent chief executive a second five-year term as the head of China's first special administrative region.

A nominee is bound by the Chief Executive Election Bill to win the support of at least 100 Election Committee members. And each member can only nominate one candidate. On this basis, no contestants, if there are any, will be able to secure enough signatures to challenge Tung.

And if Tung remains the only candidate at the end of the two-week nomination period, which ends on February 28, the Election Committee will not have to put the next chief executive to a vote. In such a scenario, Tung could be declared chief executive-designate as early as February 28, with the result only having to be submitted for appointment by the central government as prescribed by the Basic Law.

Central government leaders, including President Jiang Zemin and Vice-Premier Qian Qichen, have, more than once, voiced their support for Tung's re-election bid both before and after Tung declared his candidacy on December 13 last year.

To qualify for nomination as a candidate, a person must be a Hong Kong permanent resident aged 40 or over on July 1, 2002, a Chinese citizen with no right of abode in any foreign country, and have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than 20 years before July 1, 2002.

Tung won his first term in 1996 with 320 votes from the 400-member Selection Committee, which was subsequently replaced by the 800-member Election Committee.

At a media session later in the afternoon, Tung did not hide his elation over being able to win the backing of such a large majority of the Election Committee members.

"The high nomination rate is a reflection of the confidence in me and is also a clear indication of the support for what I have pledged to do in order to achieve better governance, to restructure the economy, to build a more caring society, and to foster a strong unity of purpose," Tung said. But he promised not to trade the votes for favors during his second term.

"A chief executive must always bear in mind the overall interests of Hong Kong, not of individual groups with vested interests," Tung said.

The chief executive affirmed that he does not yet have a lineup for his new cabinet under an accountability system, which he has promised to introduce during his second term.

Once again Tung briefed the media representatives on his policy objectives for his second term, saying he will reform the civil service structure and improve its efficiency. He also reiterated his pledge to create more job opportunities.

(China Daily February 20, 2002)