Oath-taking ceremony held for HKSAR's 7th-term LegCo members

Photo taken on Jan. 3, 2022 shows the oath-taking ceremony for 90 members of the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Lui Sui Wai)

HONG KONG, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The oath-taking ceremony for 90 members of the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was held Monday at the Chamber of the LegCo Complex.

At about 11:00 a.m. local time, the lawmakers, one by one, began to take an oath to uphold the Basic Law of the HKSAR and swear allegiance to the HKSAR after jointly singing the national anthem of China with HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the oath administrator.

It is the first time for the lawmakers to take an oath in front of the national emblem in the history of the HKSAR LegCo.

According to the National Flag and National Emblem (Amendment) Ordinance of the HKSAR that came into effect in October 2021, the national flag and emblem must be displayed at the oath-taking ceremonies of the chief executive, principal officials, the judiciary, the Executive Council, the LegCo, and the District Council.

The taking of the oath is legally binding. The oath-taker must sincerely believe in and strictly abide by the relevant oath prescribed by law. An oath-taker who makes a false oath or who, after taking the oath, engages in conduct in breach of the oath, shall bear legal responsibility in accordance with the law.

At around 12:00 at noon, all 90 lawmakers have finished taking the oath. Later in the day, Carrie Lam, the oath administrator, determined that the oaths taken by all 90 members of the LegCo are valid, according to a statement released Monday afternoon by the HKSAR government.

The first-time display of the national emblem at the oath-taking ceremony embodied the legal status of the HKSAR as a local administrative region of the People's Republic of China under "one country, two systems", and demonstrated the implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" at the local legislature, said the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR.

It is hoped that all members of the new-term LegCo will work together with the HKSAR government and various sectors of the community under the leadership of the HKSAR chief executive to solve outstanding economic and livelihood issues, actively promote social justice and create a better future for Hong Kong, the office said in a statement.

The seventh-term LegCo began its four-year term of office on Saturday. The new LegCo is expected to hold its first session on Jan. 12.

The LegCo election, the first since improvements to the HKSAR's electoral system, was successfully held on Dec. 19, 2021.

In the election, a total of 153 candidates had contended for 90 seats, including 20 from geographical constituencies, 30 from functional constituencies, and 40 from the Election Committee constituency.