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HK polls close with turnout of voters high
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THE polls have closed in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s 2021 Election Committee’s subsector ordinary elections, the first elections since improvements were made to Hong Kong’s electoral system earlier this year.
Starting at 9am, voters cast their ballots at five ordinary polling stations and one dedicated polling station across Hong Kong set up by the SAR government. An electronic poll register system was used for the first time at the polling stations to ensure more efficient and accurate issuance of ballot papers.
After the polls closed at 6pm yesterday, the ballot boxes were delivered to the Convention and Exhibition Center for a vote count, under the observance of candidates, election agents and counting agents at the central counting station’s designated area.
All election results will be announced by the SAR’s Returning Officers at the media center.
The election went smoothly with a high turnout of voters, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of the HKSAR government Erick Tsang said.
HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam said yesterday that the elections, the first after the electoral system improvements and the implementation of the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong,” would bring new development to Hong Kong.
The elections will lay a sound foundation for the upcoming elections for the Legislative Council and the chief executive, she added.
On March 11, a decision on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR was adopted by an overwhelming majority vote at the fourth session of the 13th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature.
The EC has been expanded to 1,500 members across five sectors, and is now responsible for electing the chief executive designate and some of the LegCo members, as well as for nominating candidates for the chief executive and LegCo members.
Out of the EC’s 1,500 seats, 325 people have been determined to be validly registered as ex-officio members, 156 people validly nominated to be members of the EC and 603 candidates uncontested, leaving 412 candidates to contest for 364 seats in 13 subsectors on Sunday. (The actual number of members of the EC will be fewer than 1,500 due to the LegCo election yet to be held and the overlapping status of some ex-officio members).
When asked by CGTN if the revamped electoral system is designed to shut out the opposition voices out of Hong Kong’s political process, Lam said the “whole objective of improving the electoral system of HKSAR is to ensure ‘patriots administrating Hong Kong.’”
The Candidate Eligibility Review Committee vets and confirms the qualifications of candidates for the EC members, the chief executive and the Legislative Council members.
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