The Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election has today decided the schedule regarding procedures for a by-election for a Legislative Assembly seat.

Individuals interested in standing for election can apply to form a nomination committee on their behalf. The application period runs from tomorrow (Thursday) until 28 August inclusive.

The by-election is to take place on 24 November. It relates to a seat allocated to the industrial, commercial and financial sector, under the indirect election portion of the electoral system.

The Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election – the body formed to oversee the by-election – will assess the legal status of the respective nomination committees that are formed, said the Commission Chairman, Mr Tong Hio Fong, in remarks after today’s meeting of the Commission.

The Legislative Assembly Election Law stipulates that only political associations and nomination committees have the right to nominate candidate lists for the respective processes for direct and indirect elections to the Legislative Assembly.

Regarding the indirect election for the Legislative Assembly, the law requires that each nomination committee must be formed by at least 20 percent of the associations in the respective functional constituency. The official list of those associations was published in January 2019.

According to that list, there was a total of 107 legal-person voters registered under the industrial, commercial and financial sector. This meant nomination committees must contain at least 21 legal-person voters in order respectively to nominate a candidate for the by-election, said Mr Tong.

Today’s meeting – the first to be held by the Commission in relation to the by-election – also discussed the by-election budget. Mr Tong told reporters that the Commission would strive to moderate spending on the by-election, by using materials and equipment from previous elections and by providing a smaller number of promotional venues than in previous by-elections.

When asked by reporters, Mr Tong said that, according to the schedule for the by-election, the Court of Final Appeal would confirm, no later than 10 December, the result of the by-election.