Nominations for Legislative Council by-election to start on January 16, 2018
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The by-election will be held to fill four vacancies in membership of the Legislative Council, including one vacancy for each of the three geographical constituencies (Hong Kong Island, Kowloon West and New Territories East); and one vacancy for the Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape functional constituency. If the number of validly nominated candidates for a geographical/functional constituency is more than one in the by-election, a poll will be held on March 11, 2018 for that geographical/functional constituency.
"A nominee must be a registered geographical constituency elector aged 21 or above, and have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for the three years immediately preceding the nomination," a spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) said today (December 1).
"A nominee for the geographical constituency by-election must be a Chinese citizen who is a Hong Kong permanent resident with no right of abode in a foreign country. However, the candidature in Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape functional constituency is open to Hong Kong permanent residents who are not Chinese nationals or who have the right of abode in a foreign country."
A nominee for the Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape functional constituency by-election must be a registered elector for, or have a substantial connection with, the functional constituency.
"Details on the eligibility to be nominated as a candidate, disqualification for being nominated as a candidate and from being elected as a Member, and the requirements to be complied with by persons nominated as candidates are set out in sections 37, 39 and 40 of the Legislative Council Ordinance respectively," the spokesman said.
For the geographical constituency by-election, each nominee needs to be subscribed by not less than 100 registered electors of the constituency concerned and the number of subscribers on a nomination form must not exceed 200. An elector may subscribe only one nomination as regards a particular geographical constituency by-election.
Each nominee for the Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape functional constituency by-election must be subscribed by 10 registered electors of the constituency and the number of subscribers on a nomination form must not be more than 20. An elector for the Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape functional constituency may subscribe only one nomination as regards the functional constituency by-election.
"Completed nomination forms and the election deposit must be submitted by the nominees in person to the respective Returning Officers within the nomination period. Nominations are accepted between 9am and 5pm from Mondays to Fridays and between 9am and noon on Saturdays. A deposit of $50,000 needs to be paid by each nominee for the geographical constituency by-election. Each nominee for the functional constituency by-election has to pay an election deposit of $25,000. Nominees are also encouraged to pay the election deposit by cashier order or cash to avoid unwarranted complications arising from a cheque not being honoured," the spokesman said.
The Returning Officers for the three geographical constituencies and one functional constituency in the by-election have been appointed. They will deal with the nomination of candidates and other electoral matters for the constituency under their charge.
Nomination forms are available at the District Offices, the relevant Returning Officer's office, and the offices of the REO at 10/F, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong or Unit 2301-03, 23/F, Millennium City 6, 392 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon. They can also be downloaded from the REO website (www.reo.gov.hk).
"Nominees are advised to submit their nominations as early as possible to allow time to correct mistakes, if any, in the nomination forms before the deadline," the spokesman said.
Notices of the nomination period for the 2018 Legislative Council by-election and the appointment of Returning Officers, with their office addresses, were gazetted today.
For enquiries, please call the election hotline on 2891 1001.
Ends/Friday, December 1, 2017
Issued at HKT 11:23
Issued at HKT 11:23
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