HONG KONG, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A spokesman for the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) of Hong Kong on Friday called upon the community to strive to ensure that the 2019 District Council Ordinary Election (DCOE) is conducted in a peaceful, orderly, fair and open manner.
Hong Kong has all along had a very good election culture which should not be destroyed by obstructing the election, the spokesman said, adding that it is believed all candidates and electors wish the smooth proceeding of the election.
The 2019 DCOE will take place in Hong Kong on Nov. 24, when over 4.13 million registered electors are eligible to vote in it. The number of valid nominations stood at 1,090 on Thursday.
The EAC originally scheduled to hold a briefing session on Thursday for 2019 DCOE candidates and their agents on the electoral arrangements and important points to note when conducting electioneering activities. Due to disruptive acts, the briefing session had to end prematurely.
The spokesman reiterated that whether a candidate's nomination is valid or not is solely determined by the returning officer according to the legal requirements. The EAC is neither empowered nor involved in the making of such a decision and would not provide any advice on the decision made by the returning officer.
The EAC would not provide any guidelines to the returning officer for determining whether a candidate's nomination is valid or not. The EAC will only make practical arrangements for the election according to the list of validly nominated candidates determined by the returning officer.
Furthermore, the ruling on the validity of the candidates is bound by the legislation. If the returning officer decides that a candidate is invalid, the returning officer must endorse on the nomination form the decision and the reason(s) for it, which will be made available for public inspection. If the returning officer's decision is not agreed, election petitions through judicial proceedings can be made to query the result of the election.
"We are devoting all efforts to prepare for the election and formulate contingency plans for possible incidents to ensure that the election is held in an open, fair and honest manner," the spokesman said.
Hong Kong is divided into 452 District Council Constituency Areas under 18 districts. The District Council has a function to advise China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on district affairs. Each term of office for the District Council is four years.
