Source: Global Times
[Global Times Special Correspondent in Hong Kong Yang Weimin Global Times Reporter Chen Qingqing] The Hong Kong Election Management Committee announced the guidelines for the election of the Chief Executive on the 27th. Elections will be held on March 27 this year, and the nomination period will begin on February 20 and end on March 5.
Hong Kong Sing Tao Daily said on the 27th that any Chinese citizen who is a Hong Kong permanent resident, has no foreign residency, is at least 40 years old, and has usually lived in Hong Kong for not less than 20 consecutive years, is eligible to be nominated as a candidate. Candidates are required to personally attend Edinburgh Place 3, Central on weekdays and Saturday mornings during the nomination period to send the completed form to the Electoral Officer. Nomination of each candidate shall be made by not less than 188 members of the Election Commission, including 5 constituencies of the Electoral Commission, with not less than 15 electoral members from each sector.
EAC Chairman Fung Wah said that on the day of the election, the election committee elected the next chief executive by one person, one vote and secret ballot (a total of 1500 votes). If there is only one candidate, there will be only one round of elections in the absence of competition, and those who obtain more than 750 votes will be elected; if there are 3 or more candidates, if no one obtains more than 750 votes in the first round of balloting, a second round of balloting will be held from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the same day, in which the two candidates with the highest number of votes will compete.
This is the first chief executive election held after the central government improved Hong Kong's electoral system. Feng Hua said that in response to the change in the election system, a number of amendments have been made to the activity guidelines, including that the Candidate Qualification Review Committee will be responsible for reviewing and confirming the candidates' qualifications, and the QC can request the Election Director to provide advice and make a decision based on the NSC review opinion.
Liu Zhaojia, vice president of the National Association for Hong Kong and Macao Studies and former chief adviser of the central policy group of the SAR government, told the Global Times reporter on the 27th that the future special priority will bring Hong Kong into the road of sustainable development, and its core work is to form a leadership team that has a promising and observant, has an international and national vision, and can seek the well-being of the people, dare to innovate, have a far-sighted vision, and are not afraid of hardships and dangers. A Hong Kong and Macao research expert who did not want to be named also told the Global Times reporter that 2022 is the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, and the practice of "one country, two systems" has entered the "second half", so the chief executive must be a person with the responsibility and political courage to lead Hong Kong to carry out the creative practice of "one country, two systems".