All 161 hopefuls cleared to run in coming Hong Kong Legco poll with forums to start
Beijing calls candidates ‘outstanding talent’ as chief secretary urges them to seize opportunity to ‘demonstrate their vision’
All 161 hopefuls eyeing a seat in Hong Kong’s second “patriots-only” legislature have been cleared to contest by a vetting panel, with an unprecedented 39 election forums organised by the government set to kick off on Tuesday as the city goes into full campaign mode.
Beijing’s top office overseeing the city, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), also commended the candidates for being outstanding talent who were providing voters with choice and enabling them to pick “the best from the best”, even as it warned against rumour-mongering or personal attacks during the campaign.
Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, who chairs the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee, said on Monday that the government-led vetting panel’s work would allow candidates to conduct campaigns “as soon as possible” as he expressed hope that the poll would showcase the city’s “high-quality election culture”.
The first two election forums hosted by the government will cover two of the 10 geographical constituencies and will be aired by public broadcaster RTHK on Tuesday.
“I truly hope that candidates can grasp the opportunity to demonstrate their vision and also the high-quality election culture of Hong Kong,” Chan said.
“I also hope residents will seriously study candidates’ manifestos and cast their sacred votes on December 7.”
The vetting mechanism led by the committee was introduced as part of Beijing’s “patriots-only” electoral overhaul four years ago, designed to screen hopefuls against national security risks.