Nominations for the election of the third-term chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will be open from February 14 to March 1, the HKSAR Electoral Affairs Commission announced yesterday.

 

The election will be held on March 25. To qualify as a candidate, nominees must be Hong Kong permanent residents, aged 40 or above, and a Chinese citizen with no right of abode in any foreign country, according to the Gazette published yesterday.

 

They must also have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for at least 20 years. And at least 100 members of the Election Committee must nominate each candidate.

 

The Electoral Affairs Commission has appointed Justice Louis Tong, a judge of the High Court's Court of First Instance of HKSAR, as the election's returning officer.

 

"The Electoral Affairs Commission will see to it that the Chief Executive election, as other elections, is held in accordance with the Basic Law and the relevant electoral legislations, and in a fair, open and honest manner," a spokesman for the commission said.

 

The commission has also released the updated Guidelines on Election-related Activities in Respect of the Chief Executive Election.

 

Analysts said that the incumbent chief executive, Donald Tsang, was expected to formally announce his decision to run for the top official post soon.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2007)