EAC Chairman chairs first meeting of Crisis Management Committee
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The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC), Mr Justice David Lok, chaired the first meeting of the Crisis Management Committee (CMC) this afternoon (December 5) to deal with different circumstances that may arise during, as well as to ensure the smooth process of, the 2023 District Council Ordinary Election (DCOE) to be held on December 10 (Sunday).
Mr Justice Lok said at the meeting, "There will be over 600 District Council geographical constituency ordinary polling stations in the 18 Districts across the territory, 18 District Committees constituency (DCC) polling stations and a maximum of 48 dedicated polling stations for the DCOE. Special arrangements will be made for this election to set up four near boundary polling stations at two schools in the vicinity of the Sheung Shui MTR Station.
"To ensure the orderly implementation of various measures as well as smooth polling and counting processes, the EAC is working with different bureaux and departments in preparation for the election and drawing up security and crisis management plans," he said.
During the meeting, the EAC was briefed by representatives from the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau and relevant government departments, including the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and the Hong Kong Police Force, on the assessment of different situations and deployment planned for the polling day. The Registration and Electoral Office, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, the Home Affairs Department, the Information Services Department, the Department of Justice, the Security Bureau and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department also gave briefings on preparatory and co-ordination work regarding the election.
Mr Justice Lok pointed out that the CMC will assist the EAC in closely monitoring the situation on the polling day and will handle situations in which the election is affected by different incidents. The EAC will strive to ensure that the election will be conducted in an open, honest and fair manner as in the past.
He added that the meeting today helped the EAC to get better prepared and formulate contingency plans for the DCOE to be held on December 10, and thanked all the bureaux and departments for their efforts in the preparations and arrangements for the election.
The CMC is part of the contingency mechanism for public elections. The CMC advises the EAC on matters which may affect the proceedings of the elections, such as inclement weather and issues of public health and safety. The Committee is chaired by the EAC Chairman, and comprises all EAC members, the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs (or his representative) and representatives of relevant bureaux/departments.
Ends/Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Issued at HKT 17:50
Issued at HKT 17:50
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