Carrie Lam urges active voting in HKSAR's 7th-term LegCo election

Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam casts vote in south China's Hong Kong, Dec. 19, 2021. The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the HKSAR kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system. More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

HONG KONG, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam on Sunday called on voters to fulfill their civic responsibilities and vote actively in the ongoing seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) election.

It is a vote of confidence for the improved electoral system and the future of the HKSAR, and will pave the way for Hong Kong's long-term peace and stability, Lam said when meeting the press after casting her ballot at 9:00 a.m. at the Raimondi College polling station.

When answering a question from Xinhua regarding her feelings about the Sunday election, Lam first recalled the District Council election two years ago when she and her husband went to vote at the same polling station, a time when Hong Kong was rattled by violence, candidates' offices were sabotaged, and voters feared for their personal safety.

In comparison, all polling stations and public transport in Hong Kong are peaceful and running smoothly on Sunday, a situation that is more than encouraging, she said.

As the chief executive, Lam said she and her colleagues will cooperate fully with the newly-elected LegCo members and listen to their views, so as to better reflect public opinions in administration and create a better future for Hong Kong.

"I hope this election will be fair, just, open, clean and efficient," she said.

　　The election adopted new technologies including an electronic poll register system and tailored voting arrangements for the elderly, the pregnant and other voter groups, Lam said.

Various public transport operators including the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited, franchised bus operators, and Hong Kong Tramways provide free rides for the public on the polling day.

The election for the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR kicked off Sunday morning, the first since the improvement to the HKSAR electoral system.

More than 600 polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. local time across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes.

The membership of the seventh-term of the HKSAR LegCo will increase from 70 to 90, and the members are to be elected by the Election Committee constituency (40 seats), functional constituencies (30 seats), and geographical constituencies (20 seats), respectively.

The LegCo is the legislature of the HKSAR. The Chief Executive in Council, in accordance with the Legislative Council Ordinance, has specified Jan. 1, 2022 as the commencement date of the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR.