The Electoral Affairs Commission for the Chief Executive Election today met with the General Audit Committee for the Chief Executive Election Committee polling process. They exchanged views on the design of the ballot paper to be used in the June polling to decide most of the seats on the Chief Executive Election Committee and the criteria for the validity of ballots cast. 

Polling for seats on the Chief Executive Election Committee is to be held on 16 June. Subsequently the Chief Executive Election Committee will select a new Chief Executive.

Speaking to reporters, the President of the Electoral Affairs Commission for the Chief Executive Election, Ms Song Man Lei, said today’s meeting also discussed candidature applications for the available places on the Chief Executive Election Committee.

An aggregate of 351 people has applied for the right to contest the 344 available places on the Chief Executive Election Committee.

The number of applications received from the First Sector – which covers the industrial, commercial and financial sub-sectors – was equal to the number of places on the Chief Executive Election Committee allocated respectively to that sector and those sub-sectors.

Candidature applications received from the cultural sub-sector, professional sub-sector, and the sports sub-sector that make up the Sector Sector, were equal to the number of places on the Chief Executive Election Committee allocated respectively to those sub-sectors.

Candidature applications received from, respectively, the educational sub-sector – a constituent part of the Second Sector –; and from the labour sub-sector and the social service sub-sector that make up the Third Sector, exceeded the number of places on the Chief Executive Election Committee available for each of those respective sub-sectors.

Ms Song added that once the applications have been assessed regarding eligibility, the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau would publish on Tuesday (14 May) a list of eligible candidates for the polling to choose the Chief Executive Election Committee.

Should there be neither an appeal lodged, nor a court decision to be made on the composition of the candidate list as of that day, the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau would publish on 16 May the general list of accepted candidates, Ms Song added.

Today’s meeting also discussed arrangements for the polling stations and for traffic management near them in relation to polling day.