Nomination period for 2025 Legco election announced

The nomination period for the 2025 Legislative Council General Election will commence on October 24 and conclude on November 6, with the election itself scheduled for December 7, the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) announced on Friday.

In a gazette notice published today, the electoral authority outlined the framework for selecting the 90-member legislature, which will comprise 20 members from geographical constituencies, 30 from functional constituencies, and 40 from the Election Committee constituency.

Prospective candidates must meet specific eligibility criteria, according to an REO spokesman.

"To run for a seat in a geographical constituency, a functional constituency or the Election Committee constituency, a nominated person must be a registered geographical constituency elector aged 21 or above," the spokesman stated.

"He or she must also have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for three years immediately preceding the date of his or her nomination, and must be a Chinese citizen who is a Hong Kong permanent resident with no right of abode in a foreign country."

The election rules provide an exception for twelve specified functional constituencies, where non-Chinese citizens or Hong Kong permanent residents with foreign right of abode may submit nominations.

These include legal, accountancy, engineering, architectural, surveying, planning and landscape, real estate and construction, tourism, commercial (first), industrial (first), finance, financial services, import and export, and insurance sectors.

Functional constituency candidates must demonstrate either voter registration within their respective professional sector or establish a substantial connection to it, while Election Committee constituency candidates are not required to be members of the Election Committee themselves.

The REO has made all relevant election information available through its official website, providing comprehensive details for potential candidates and the public ahead of the October nomination opening.