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The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:
The third term Chief Executive election will be held on March 25. Notices on the nomination procedures and the appointment of the Returning Officer for the election were published in the Gazette today (January 19).
"The Electoral Affairs Commission will see to it that the Chief Executive election, as other elections, is held in accordance with the Basic Law and the relevant electoral legislations, and in a fair, open and honest manner," a spokesman for the commission said.
The nomination period for the election is from February 14 to March 1.
Any Hong Kong SAR permanent resident who is a Chinese citizen, with no right of abode in any foreign country, has reached 40 years of age, and has ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than 20 years, is eligible to be nominated.
A candidate's nomination shall be made by not less than 100 members of the Election Committee.
Nomination forms are available from the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) and can be downloaded from its website.
A candidate is required to hand in his/her completed nomination form to the Returning Officer in person on 10/F, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai from 9am to 5pm on Mondays to Fridays, and from 9am to noon on Saturday, during the nomination period.
Mr Justice Louis Tong Po-sun, a judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, has been appointed by the commission as the Returning Officer for this election.
The commission also today released the updated Guidelines on Election-related Activities in respect of the Chief Executive Election.
When finalising the guidelines, the commission has taken into account the representations received during the two-week consultation period in November, 2006.
Copies of the guidelines can be obtained at the REO or the 18 District Offices of the Home Affairs Department, and can be downloaded from www.eac.gov.hk. For enquiries, please call the election hotline, 2891 1001.
Ends/Friday, January 19, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:39
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