The nomination period for the Legislative Council by-election will start tomorrow (January 16) and run until January 29.
 
     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 at the by-election, a poll will be held on March 11, 2018 (Sunday) 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 (January 15).
 
     "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 the 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 from 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 (Cap. 542) 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 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 election website (www.elections.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.

     Copies of the nomination forms received are available for public inspection at the offices of the respective Returning Officers for the geographical constituencies and functional constituency during ordinary business hours after the start of the nomination period. Members of the public may also inspect copies of the nomination forms received of the Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape functional constituency at the REO office at Unit 2301-03, 23/F, Millennium City 6, 392 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon. The copy of the nomination forms received will be made available for public inspection until the relevant notice of election result is published in the Gazette.
 
     For enquiries, please call the election hotline on 2891 1001.

Ends/Monday, January 15, 2018
Issued at HKT 14:30

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