Hong Kong leadership battle hangs in balance

Days before Hong Kong selects its next leader, China may have turned its back on presumed front-runner Henry Tang as a tide of public discontent over a scandal-tainted race threatens street protests and the prospect of a re-election.

On Sunday, an 1,193-person committee, made up of business leaders, will vote on the semi-autonomous region’s next chief executive.

Mr Tang was once considered Beijing’s preferred candidate for the job, but this week has seen a shift in allegiance to his rival, Leung Chun-ying, especially from more hardline left-wing factions of China’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong that has traditionally held sway over how Beijing handles the city’s affairs.

Mr Tang has been tarnished by an illegal construction scandal and self-confessed marital infidelities.