LegCo polls start in HK under new electoral system

HONG KONG - Hong Kong started its first Legislative Council election under the revamped electoral system on Sunday morning, as over 620 polling stations opened at 8:30 am for electors to cast their votes.

The voting will end 14 hours later at 10:30 pm. In this election, a total of 153 candidates will compete for 90 seats of the seventh LegCo, separately from the Election Committee, functional and geographical constituencies.

About 4.47 million people have registered as voters in the election. For the first time, polling stations were set up at the Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and Heung Yuen Wai border checkpoints for Hong Kong residents in the Chinese mainland to vote. About 22, 000 people have registered to vote at the checkpoints.

To restore order in Hong Kong after the 2019 social unrest, the Standing Committee of the National People''s Congress adopted two decisions - to promulgate the National Security Law for Hong Kong and to improve the special administrative region's flawed electoral system - in the past two years.

Under the improved electoral system, the number of LegCo members was expanded from 70 to 90, with a newly added Election Committee constituency. Earlier, an expanded 1,500-strong Election Committee was formed after polls on Sept 19, and the city's next chief executive will be elected on March 27 next year.