Election Committee race draws 1,155 nominations
SingTao · 3 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Nominations for the 2026 Election Committee subsector ordinary elections closed at 5pm on October 20, after a two-week nomination period that began on October 7. Election officials received 1,155 nomination forms in total, comprising 1,115 candidate nomination forms and 40 designated body nomination forms. At least 31 of the 36 subsectors that return members by voting are oversubscribed and will go to polls on November 22, with the social welfare subsector emerging as the most competitive at 25 candidates for 15 seats.
Key Points
- All 18 subsectors in the First Sector, covering commerce and finance, recorded excess nominations and will require contests.
- In the Second Sector of professional groups, 8 of 10 subsectors are contested, including social welfare with 25 candidates for 15 seats.
- The medical and health services subsector also saw intense competition, with 23 candidates contesting 15 seats
- Five subsectors are uncontested: education, sports-performing arts-culture-publication, associations of Hong Kong residents in the Mainland, labour, and representatives of Hong Kong members of relevant national organisations
- Election officers will draw lots on October 29 at the Civil Aid Service headquarters and the Registration and Electoral Office’s Kwun Tong office for ballot order and election advertisement spots.
Why It Matters
The close of nominations now shifts attention to candidate vetting, the October 29 lot-drawing, and the November 3 briefing for candidates at Queen Elizabeth Stadium chaired by Electoral Affairs Commission chairman Justice David Lok Kai-hong. For Hong Kong voters and sectoral bodies, the next key question is which nominations are confirmed as valid within 14 days after the nomination period, determining the final shape of the November 22 contests.