Legislative Council Election candidates briefed on electoral guidelines and legislation
The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:
The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC), Mr Justice David Lok, conducted a briefing tonight (November 14) for the candidates of the 2025 Legislative Council General Election (LCGE) on the electoral arrangements, the guidelines on election-related activities and important points to note in running their electioneering campaigns to ensure that the election will be conducted in an open, honest and fair manner.
"The eighth-term LCGE will be held on December 7. A total of 161 nomination forms, with 51 from geographical constituencies (GCs); 60 from functional constituencies (FCs); and 50 from the Election Committee constituency (ECC), were received by the Returning Officers (ROs) during the nomination period that ended on November 6. The Candidate Eligibility Review Committee has published notices in the Gazette earlier to announce that all 161 candidates are validly nominated. Polls will be conducted for all constituencies, in which there are contested elections for all 90 seats of the Legislative Council," Mr Justice Lok said at the briefing.
Mr Justice Lok said that the ROs have determined the order of the names of candidates appearing on a ballot paper by drawing lots on November 7. The candidate numbers are also listed on the Gazette notices published on November 10.
"The EAC will strive to ensure that the election will be conducted in an open, honest and fair manner as in the past. I would also like to appeal to eligible electors to vote proactively on December 7," he said.
At the briefing, Mr Justice Lok highlighted the arrangements and points to note of the election that are related to the candidates.
New facilitation measures
The duration of polling hours for the 2025 LCGE will be extended by two hours to 16 hours, running from 7.30am and 11.30pm.
In view of the successful experience of the 2023 District Council Ordinary Election, apart from setting up NBPSs in Sheung Shui, the REO will also set up NBPSs at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Passenger Clearance Building and Hong Kong International Airport respectively in this election, so that electors who will travel to and from the Mainland and overseas, and those on duty at the two places on the polling day can cast their votes conveniently.
Moreover, Designated Polling Stations and Outreach Polling Stations will be introduced in this election in the form of a pilot scheme to enable specific groups of electors to exercise their voting rights and make the election arrangements more humane and considerate.
Candidates and their election agents and polling agents can also observe the voting process at the Designated Polling Stations and Outreach Polling Stations, same as other polling stations.
No canvassing zone and no staying zone
A certain area outside each polling station will be designated as a no canvassing zone to ensure that electors can gain access to the polling stations without interference. A no staying zone will also be designated in the vicinity of the entrance and exit of a polling station. No one is allowed to stay in the no staying zone or canvass for votes or conduct "de-facto canvassing" such as making hand gestures and greetings in the no canvassing zone.
Counting and announcement of results
After the close of poll, a majority of the Ordinary Polling Stations and Near Boundary Polling Stations will be changed to counting stations immediately for the counting of GC votes. For small polling stations of which less than 500 electors are assigned to vote, Dedicated Polling Stations, Designated Polling Stations and Outreach Polling Stations, the GC ballot papers will be delivered to specific ballot paper sorting stations and main counting stations for sorting by GCs. The sorted ballot papers will then be mixed with ballot papers from the same GC. The ballot boxes of all FCs and the ECC will be delivered to the Central Counting Station at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) for counting.
For the GCs, upon completion of the count, the Presiding Officer of each counting station will make known the counting results to the candidates or their agents present. Upon verification of the counting results of all counting stations in a GC, the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) will notify the RO at the Central Counting Station at HKCEC of the overall counting result for the RO to sign and declare the election results at the Media Centre. As for the FCs and ECC, once the counting of votes is completed and the election results are verified by the Statistical Information Centre, the ROs will notify the present candidates and their agents of the counting results, and sign and declare the election results at the counting zone of the Central Counting Station. The election results will be announced again by the ROs on stage of the Media Centre later and all elected candidates will be invited to receive applause on the stage.
The election results will also be displayed outside the Media Centre and published via press releases and the election website (www.elections.gov.hk).
Digitalisation of electoral forms
Electronic versions for most electoral forms are introduced for the election. Candidates may submit the relevant electoral forms via the REO e-Form Upload Platform and the Central Platform for Election Advertisements. Candidates can also utilise the newly established Central e-Form Services and fill in web-based electoral forms using the "e-ME" form-filling function of "iAM Smart". However, some of the forms, such as the Return and Declaration of Election Expenses and Election Donations (Election Return), or forms with statutory declaration, are still required under the existing laws or other requirements to be submitted in paper form.
Mr Justice Lok reminded the candidates that once the electronic forms are submitted through the platforms concerned, notifications of confirmation will be issued by the respective platforms via email or mobile phone SMS message. With the receipt of the notifications, there is no need to submit the forms using other means again.
Election expenses and donations
To ensure candidates are contesting on a level playing field, a maximum limit of election expenses is set for each constituency. It will be an offence if candidates and their election expense agents incur election expenses in excess of the prescribed maximum limit, be it a very small amount, and they will be subject to criminal liability.
Election meetings
An election meeting is a meeting held to promote or prejudice the election of a particular candidate or particular candidates. Expenses incurred are considered as election expenses. Candidates should note that if they wish to hold election campaigns or election meetings in government premises, they must obtain prior approval from the relevant government departments.
Election advertisements
According to the law, an election advertisement is an advertisement used for the purpose of promoting or prejudicing the election of a candidate. Candidates must upload the electronic copies of the election advertisements and the permission, consent of support, etc, onto the REO's Central Platform or the candidate's platform for public inspection within three working days after the publication of the election advertisements. Candidates may also submit the relevant materials to the ROs. It is an offence if a candidate fails to comply with the requirement.
At the briefing, a representative from the Independent Commission Against Corruption also briefed the candidates about the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance and the points to note regarding election expenses and election donations to enhance their understanding of the acts that may constitute corrupt or illegal conducts, whereas a representative from Hongkong Post provided to the candidates a brief overview of the arrangements for free postage service for election mail.
Information on the election is available on the election website (www.elections.gov.hk). The video of the candidate briefing will also be uploaded to the election website and the YouTube channel of RTHK (www.youtube.com/@RTHK) later (search "2025 Legislative Council General Election Briefing Session for Candidates" to watch).
Legislative Council Election candidates briefed on electoral guidelines and legislation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Legislative Council Election candidates briefed on electoral guidelines and legislation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Legislative Council Election candidates briefed on electoral guidelines and legislation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
