Vivian Kong’s bid, lawmaker pullout: what to know about Hong Kong Legco election

Hong Kong is gearing up for a Legislative Council election on December 7, as 161 candidates have been confirmed to be joining the race after nominations closed last week.

With 5 per cent more hopefuls than the previous poll in 2021, this year’s election leaves no seats uncontested.

There will also be fiercer competition in the geographical constituencies, as major political parties have fielded more candidates to run for the 20 seats directly elected by residents.

Functional constituencies, comprising 30 seats, and the Election Committee constituency, which has 40 of the 90 seats in the legislature, are looking at a decline in the number of candidates. Both the functional and Election Committee constituencies have voters from their respective sectors, rather than general residents.

From the entry of an Olympic gold medallist to the departure of long-term lawmakers, the Post dives into six key highlights in the run-up to the election.

1. Election forums part of drive to boost turnout

The government will organise 39 election forums – one each for the 10 geographical, 28 functional and one Election Committee constituencies – in the run-up to the election.