Hong Kong scandal-hit heir apparent should drop out of race - poll

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A majority of people in Hong Kong believe the Beijing-backed frontrunner in next month's election for the leadership of the city should quit the race following a scandal involving illegal construction at one of his homes, a poll showed on Sunday.

Henry Tang, a wealthy businessman turned civil servant, has seen his popularity ratings fall in recent months over allegation of an extra-marital affair, verbal gaffes and now a row over an illegal basement under a swimming pool at a family villa.

The latest survey, commissioned by the South China Morning Post and conducted by the University of Hong Kong, showed that 51.3 percent of 516 people polled wanted Tang to drop out of the race for the chief executive's post while 79.5 percent thought his integrity was questionable.

Analysts said even if Tang remained in the race, his unpopularity could eventually lead to a governance crisis if he was selected as Hong Kong's next leader by a 1,200-person election committee on March 25. Hong Kong's seven million people have no direct vote for their leader.

The survey was conducted after Tang and his wife admitted to the construction of a 2,250-square-foot basement, which media labelled "an underground palace" replete with a wine cellar, spa, gym and spacious rooms that Tang had initially tried to dismiss as just a "hole in the ground".

After snowballing media and public pressure, Tang finally apologised for the luxury basement, but laid the blame on his wife, who said that she had planned the project beneath the luxury villa.

The latest development further tarnished Tang's public image after the 59-year-old admitted to an extra-marital affair late last year, posing a headache for Beijing's Communist Party leaders.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 amid promises of a high degree of autonomy, but China's leaders have kept a large degree of behind-the-scenes grip over the city's political and administrative elite

The opinion poll showed that around a quarter of people would like Beijing loyalist and legislative council president Rita Fan to run the race if Tang dropped out, while a fifth would like a former security chief, Regina Ip, to take part in the election.

The next chief executive of Hong Kong, a small but highly influential financial hub with a population of about 7 million people, will enjoy a five-year term of office.

(Reporting by Lee Chyen Yee and James Pomfret; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)