Hong Kong got a taste of democracy, American-style, Thursday when the two candidates for an upcoming leadership election duelled in an unprecedented live televised debate.
Incumbent leader of the southern Chinese territory Donald Tsang and his pro-democracy challenger Alan Leong traded barbs in a 90-minute session that saw both indulge in personal attacks typical of US debates but rarely witnessed here.
And although Tsang, the candidate with China's backing, is a shoo-in for a vote decided by a cabal of 800 mostly pro-Beijing elites, both came out of their corners fighting.
"Mr Tsang is divorced from reality," said Leong in one exchange. "You don't want a city run by Alan," Tsang responded in another parry. "He has his figures all wrong."
Political events are closely controlled and open disagreement is culturally frowned on here, but Thursday's town hall-style debate was surprisingly candid with no issue off limits. Questions were chosen at random from delegates of the Electoral Commission that will select the next leader on March 25 and from members of the public, 3,400 of whom had emailed their queries.
Uppermost in questioners' minds appeared to be the economy and the timing of Hong Kong's long-promised switched to full democracy - two issues that have riven the former British colony since it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.
Hong Kong has never a leadership debate as it has never had a contested election before.
Under British colonial rule, leaders were appointed by the British monarch and since the city's handover of sovereignty to China they have been selected by the 800-strong Election Committee. Leong is the first challenger to have garnered enough nominations to enter the race.
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