Hong Kong residents express great confidence in candidates' abilities

A giant banner that reads "Cast your vote for Hong Kong — our home" is seen in the Central district in Hong Kong, Dec 15, 2021. [Photo by CALVIN NG/For CHINA DAILY]

Over 70 percent of Hong Kong voters in a Friday survey expressed confidence in the competence of new lawmakers to be elected in Sunday's polls, as officials and civic leaders stepped up efforts to call on residents to vote for the city's future.

According to the survey, 72.3 percent of interviewed Hong Kong residents said they believe that Legislative Council elections under the improved electoral system will choose competent lawmakers to better serve Hong Kong's interests.

The survey, conducted by the Bauhinia Institute think tank, found that the new electoral system ensures that all candidates are patriots who sincerely uphold the Basic Law and aspire to serve the public. The candidates are also considered capable of representing the interests of their sectors.

Up to 75.8 percent of the voters surveyed said they believe that the elections will be fair and be broadly representative. Over 60 percent of those surveyed are satisfied with the candidates' performance in the election campaign, the survey showed.

In the elections, 153 candidates with diverse backgrounds will compete for 90 seats in three types of constituencies. It is also the first time since Hong Kong returned to the motherland that no seats will be filled automatically.

Researchers at the institute called on all eligible voters to cast votes on Sunday to elect qualified lawmakers to improve the city's administration and local residents' welfare.

In recent days, many officials, including Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung, Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan and Secretary for Innovation and Technology Alfred Sit Winghang, also released videos to appeal to voters to cast their ballots.

On Friday, Chief Secretary for Administration John Lee Ka-chiu and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwokwai inspected preparatory work at the central counting station within the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.

Lee said the election is the largest in scale in Hong Kong's history, involving a record of some 40,000 electoral staff. He encouraged them to devote their full strength to help conduct the historic election.

He added that Hong Kong voters will unprecedentedly elect 90 lawmakers who will fulfill the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong", which means they will be committed to the interests of Hong Kong and the motherland and will play a truly constructive role in Hong Kong society.

Lee called on the public to actively participate in voting in a bid to seize the rare chance to build a better Hong Kong and foil attempts by external forces to spoil the election.

To help electors know more about the candidates, local political group Hong Kong Coalition held a livestreamed forum event on Friday. During the forum, 51 candidates, who will be returned by the city's Election Committee, introduced platforms to over 1,000 members of the committee.

Candidates attending the forum come from various sectors, including entrepreneurs, educators and social workers. They are contesting 40 seats in the constituency, which will be decided by all 1,448 members of the city's Election Committee.

Another 50 seats in the new Legislative Council will be returned by voters of geographical and functional constituencies.