Polling date of 6th HK LegCo set on Sept. 4

The polling date of the sixth-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of Hong Kong will be on Sept. 4, 2016, a spokesman for the government said on Wednesday.

The date was specified by the Chief Executive, the spokesman said, the decision has taken into consideration the relevant statutory provisions concerning the determination of a general election date and the nomination period preceding an election, as well as the practice adopted in the past public elections.

In light of the polling date, the nomination period for the 2016 LegCo general election is scheduled for July 16 to July 29 this year. To ensure that all candidates (including those who are serving LegCo members) will compete on a level playing field, the Chief Executive has appointed July 16, 2016, which is the commencement date of the nomination period, as the date from which the fifth-term LegCo shall stand prorogued and its operation shall then be terminated.

Separately, the Chief Executive has also specified Dec. 11, 2016 as the date for holding the coming Election Committee subsector ordinary elections.

The dates of polling of the LegCo general election and the Election Committee subsector ordinary elections and the date of prorogation of the LegCo will be published in the Gazette on March 4.