Hong Kong lawmakers to consider motion asking Chief Executive to resign his post
Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa
HONG KONG (AFP) Hong Kong lawmakers
are to vote next month on whether embattled Chief Executive Tung
Chee-hwa should resign over his perceived poor handling of the
SARS outbreak, a report said Saturday.
Independent lawmaker Albert Chan is to move a non-binding motion
on 14 May calling for Tung to step down.
The motion is not expected to succeed as it has yet to receive
support from major political parties, the South China Morning
Post reported.
However, Chan's initiative comes as Tung, who was hand-picked by Beijing to lead Hong Kong for a second five-year-term last March, has been facing rising pressure over his handling of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak.
It also follows speculation that Beijing
is becoming increasingly concerned about Tung's leadership.
Two senior Chinese officials were sacked in recent for their failure
to adequately handle the virus outbreak.
Six people died in Hong Kong Friday after contracting SARS, taking
the death toll in the city to 115. More than 1,500 others have
been infected with the disease since the outbreak began seven
weeks ago.