December 7 date for Legco election

Jamie Liu

Hong Kong will hold its Legislative Council election on December 7, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced yesterday.

Ahead of the Legco polls, a by-election for the subsectors of the Election Committee will be held on September 7 to fill the current 90 vacancies out of the 967 elected members on the committee.

To ensure the success of the eighth-term Legco election and the EC by-election, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau will work closely with the Election Affairs Commission on preparation efforts, Lee said.

These include publicity work, recruitment and training of electoral staff, arrangements of voting and ballot-counting, data systems and security, and formulating a comprehensive plan with contingency measures.

Lee said: "In a fair, honest, safe, orderly and effective manner, [the election] will choose a new term of capable, responsible lawmakers who love the country and Hong Kong and will serve citizens, Hong Kong and the country."

The chief executive said CMAB will announce the elections' nomination periods and related details later this year.

The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong expressed hopes that the election would bring patriotic and capable people to office. The party also called on authorities to enhance publicity campaigns to encourage eligible citizens to actively register as voters and participate in elections.

The DAB said government departments should work closely together to ensure thorough preparations that include improving vote-counting efficiency and strengthening support for electronic and network technologies.

For instance, measures should be taken to prevent malfunctions or cyberattacks on systems such as the electronic voter registry.

jamie.liu@singtaonewscorp.com