Can't Have That

Hong Kong Head: Poor Would Run Free Vote

Talks with protesters set to begin.

Chief Executive C.Y. Leung says open elections in Hong Kong would result in poor people dominating politics in the Chinese territory. The embattled politician made the comments to foreign media as he reiterated his position that free elections are impossible. Leung said that if candidates for his job were nominated by the public -- as oppposed to being hand-picked by a committee heavily loyal to Beijing -- then the largest sector would control the political process. "If it's entirely a numbers game and numeric representation, then obviously you'd be talking to half of the people in Hong Kong who earn less than U.S. $1,800 a month," he said. He did not say why that would necessarily be a problem. The Hong Kong government was poised to have start Tuesday evening with student leaders leading pro-democracy protests.