Chief Executive candidate Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Friday received the blessing of various sectors - including the city's biggest political party and largest workers' union - two days before the CE election on Sunday.

The Central Committee of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) - the SAR's largest political group, decided to unanimously cast their more than 100 votes for Lam following a meeting on Friday night.

"Carrie Lam is the candidate who fits most with our political ideals, hopes and ethos," the DAB announced after the closed-door meeting.

Hong Kong faces numerous political, economic and livelihood challenges and the city needs a new CE who will "stand by what is right and strive for results", the statement said.

The former chief secretary's (CS) strong administrative experience, her courage and sense of responsibility had made the party believe she can face the challenges ahead.

"The election platform that she ran on is relatively holistic and realistic, a platform that reflects her long years of experience in government and policymaking. Her platform also shows that she is ready to proactively use some of our financial reserves to help solve the most urgent issues in our city," the DAB said.

The city's largest workers' union, the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), made an appeal on the same day for its 63 Election Committee members to support Lam after an internal opinion poll showed an overwhelming 90 percent of its 410,000 members across the city backed Lam.

The union said its decision to support Lam was made based on the consideration that Hong Kong needed a CE with strong credentials and an ability to lead the city's long-term development.

Lam's pragmatism and ability to handle complex situations and issues made her more suitable than the other two candidates, the union concluded.

Also on Friday, the Agriculture and Fisheries sub-sector, with 60 votes in the Election Committee, also strongly endorsed Lam.

It noted that Lam was the ideal candidate for Hong Kong as she had gained extensive support from many sectors. Such broad support across society would help her unite the city and its people.

Also running for the city's top job are former financial secretary John Tsang Chun-wah and retired judge Woo Kwok-hing. The winning candidate must take at least 601 votes and be appointed by the central government.

stushadow@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 03/25/2017 page3)