Gaining nominations ought to be a challenging process, says Erick Tsang

Gaining nominations to run in the District Council elections ought to be a challenging process as authorities needed a system that would allow "trustworthy individuals" to act as gatekeepers, said Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai.

He also said the system has performed its functions should anyone feel that it was more difficult to secure a nomination than before.

His comments came after the city’s opposition hopefuls and some pro-establishment parties earlier said they had struggled to secure nominations to run.

The District Councils were the last major political representative bodies chosen by the public. Under the electoral overhaul, most directly elected seats in the municipal-level organization have been eliminated.

To enter the race, candidates have to secure endorsements from at least nine members of their district’s area committees that are packed with pro-government figures. Some pro-government politicians, including Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun, also said it was challenging for their groups to secure nominations.

Speaking at LegCo on Tuesday, Tsang said individuals without any political affiliations could seek nominations through referrals from the Home Affairs Department to their district’s area committees.

He believed the arrangements were effective, providing candidates with sufficient and reasonable channels to compete for nominations.

Meanwhile, Tsang said those who failed to secure enough nominations should not blame the mechanism, instead, they should reflect on themselves whether they have convinced people to give them the vote of confidence.

Also commenting on the case, Third Side Lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen argued that the area committee members with political affiliations tended to nominate individuals from their respective political parties.

He questioned if the area committee members have placed the interest of their political party above the people’s choice, making it more difficult for independent candidates to run in the elections.

In response, Tsang said the society should trust the area committees that they would understand the bigger picture rather than prioritize on personal interests.