LegCo by-election calls for nominations on August 2

Nominations for the Legislative Council by-election (Election Committee) to return a Legislative Council member will begin next Thursday (August 2) and will last two weeks until August 15, a Government Gazette notice announced today.

The by-election will be held on Sunday, September 16, to fill a seat vacated by Professor Ng Ching-fai who resigned from office as a Legislative Councillor in mid-July, a spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office said.

Another notice was gazetted today to announce the appointment of a Returning Officer and an Assistant Returning Officer to deal with nomination and various matters related to the by-election.

"To qualify for running in the by-election, a person must be a registered geographical constituency elector aged 21 or above who has ordinarily lived in Hong Kong for the three years immediately before the nomination, and who is a Chinese citizen with no right of abode in a foreign country," the spokesman said.

"A candidate must have his nomination form subscribed by at least 10 members of the Election Committee and pay an election deposit of $25,000 when handing in his nomination form to the Returning Officer," he said.

Nomination forms are now available at the Registration and Electoral Office on the 10th floor, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, and the 10th floor, Guardian House, 32 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, and the Returning Officer's office on the third floor, East Wing, Central Government Offices, Lower Albert Road.

Candidates are required to hand in their nomination form in person to the Returning Officer, third floor, East Wing, Central Government Offices, Lower Albert Road, no later than 5 pm on August 15.

The Electoral Affairs Commission, which is supervising the conduct of the by-election, will set up a complaints hotline, 2827 7251, from the start of the nomination period to receive complaints from members of the public about possible breaches of the Guidelines on Election-related Activities.

Any enquiries about arrangements for the by-election may be made on the election hotline, 2891 1001.

End/Friday, July 27, 2001