Winning by losing HK's "Byzantine" election race

HONG KONG, Dec 7 (Reuters) Hong Kong's Chief Executive election is just three months away, but the only declared candidate so far is a man almost certain to lose.

Backed by the Democratic Party and several pro-democracy groups for the March poll, Civic Party legislator Alan Leong and his campaign team have hit the pavements, pressed flesh in grassroots districts, garnered signatures and courted the media.

It is a classic populist approach, but unusual in Hong Kong where the voters aren't the 7 million members of the public but an 800-person election committee comprised largely of individuals sympathetic to Beijing.

But Leong's campaign, launched just three weeks ago, seeks to make the most of a losing predicament: exposing the flaws of the electoral system and rekindling public interest in politics.

''The response has been quite encouraging, I've certainly detected an upsurge in awareness,'' said the Cambridge-educated barrister, citing recent public opinion polls.

Leong is also trying to make the election a contested one.

His name will not be guaranteed on the ballot unless he can secure 100 nominations from the election committee -- a task no pro-democracy candidate has managed for the territory's three elections since the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997.

Hong Kong's post-handover mini-constitution -- the Basic Law -- guarantees the territory a high degree of autonomy, particularly in economic matters.

But since the handover, critics have lambasted Beijing for interfering in Hong Kong's constitutional and political affairs. In April 2004, for instance, China's parliament explicitly ruled out the possibility of direct elections for the foreseeable future.

Beijing's influence has also been blamed for the recent erosion of the territory's civil, press and judicial freedoms.

''INVISIBLE, BYZANTINE'' Incumbent Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang, who enjoys Beijing's backing, is odds-on favourite to win in March, even though he hasn't yet stated his intention to run.

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