Reporters and Hong Kong’s Democratic Party have again hit snags trying to access contact details of committee members responsible for nominating candidates in the upcoming “patriots-only” District Council race, after the government released a register including only members’ surnames and addresses.
The District Committees constituencies register was released on Monday, with entries for 2,533 electors – members of the Area Committees, the District Fight Crime Committees, and the District Fire Safety Committees.
Those hoping to run in December’s overhauled District Council race must receive at least three nominations from each of the three committees to be eligible to run for one of 88 directly-elected seats on the local-level advisory bodies – down from 452 in the 2019 election.
Thus far, the government has refused to disclose contact details of the District Committee members, citing data privacy laws, sparking criticism from members of pro-democracy parties hoping to front candidates in the race.
‘Specified persons’
According to the Registration and Electoral Office’s (REO) website, only “validly nominated candidates … meeting the specified requirements” and members of the press were allowed to inspect the electors’ registers at the REO’s offices in Cheung Sha Wan and Kowloon Bay.
Only the first Chinese character or the first word of the elector’s name and their registered residential address are shown on the registers, with no phone numbers or email addresses.
Local media reported on Tuesday that the registers included several electors with the same surname. According to Ming Pao, eight of the 72 electors in Central and Western District had the surname Chan.
According to an earlier statement issued by the Electoral Affairs Commission, authorities may provide “extracts” from registers to “specified persons” – validly nominated candidates or people from eligible bodies or organisations.
In a reply to local media outlet HK01, the EAC said members of the pro-democracy Democratic Party were among those specified persons. HKFP has reached out to the commission for clarification.
Data privacy
Democratic Party chair Lo Kin-hei, who in September revealed that eight party members had been endorsed to run in the polls, said that he had reached out to the Home Affairs Department (HAD) for the committee members’ contact details to begin seeking nominations. But according to Ming Pao, the department said it could only forward the request to the committees.
Another pro-democracy party, the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood (ADPL), has also raised concerns over difficulties surrounding seeking nominations.
Plans to overhaul the District Council elections were unveiled in May 2023 to ensure only “patriots” are elected, following a pro-democracy landslide at the last polls in 2019. The number of seats chosen democratically by the public will be slashed to around 20 per cent, with the rest chosen by the city’s leader, government-appointed committees and officials.
Constituency boundaries will be redrawn and each local council will be chaired by a government official, similar to colonial-era arrangements. All candidates will undergo national security vetting to ensure patriotism.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
LATEST FROM HKFP
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.
