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The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) will hold a by-election for the Legislative Council New Territories East geographical constituency on February 28, 2016 (Sunday). The nomination period for the by-election will run from January 5 to 18 next year.
"Should there be more than one validly nominated candidate in the by-election, a poll will be held on February 28, 2016, to fill the vacant office of a member of the Legislative Council," a spokesman for the REO said today (October 23).
"A nominee must be a registered geographical constituency elector aged 21 or above. The nominee must also have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for the three years immediately before his or her nomination, and be a Chinese citizen who is a Hong Kong permanent resident with no right of abode in a foreign country," the spokesman said.
A nomination form must be subscribed by not less than 100 registered electors of the New Territories East geographical constituency and the number of subscribers on the nomination form must not exceed 200. Each elector is allowed to subscribe only one nomination. Details on the eligibility and disqualification for nomination as a candidate are set out in sections 37 and 39 respectively of the Legislative Council Ordinance.
The nominee must personally hand in the completed nomination form and an election deposit of $50,000 to the Returning Officer within the nomination period. Nominations are accepted from 9am to 5pm, Mondays to Fridays, and from 9am to noon on Saturdays.
The District Officer (Sha Tin) has been appointed as the Returning Officer for the by-election. Her office is located at 4/F, Sha Tin Government Offices, 1 Sheung Wo Che Road, Sha Tin, New Territories.
"Nominees are encouraged to pay the election deposit by cashier order or cash to avoid unwarranted complications arising from a cheque not being honoured," the spokesman said.
Nomination forms are available at the Returning Officer's office or the REO at 10/F, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. They can also be downloaded from the REO website (www.reo.gov.hk).
"Nominees are advised to submit their nominations as early as possible to allow time to correct mistakes, if any, in the nomination forms before the deadline," the spokesman said.
Details of the by-election, the appointment of the Returning Officer and the Assistant Returning Officers, and the appointment of the Nominations Advisory Committee were published in the Gazette today.
For enquiries, please call the election hotline on 2891 1001.
Ends/Friday, October 23, 2015
Issued at HKT 10:55
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