HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s election chief has urged the public to vote in the legislative election on Dec 7 after some called for it to be postponed following the city’s

deadliest fire in decades

Appearing on the broadcaster on Dec 6, Mr David Lok, head of the Electoral Affairs Commission, said the date of Hong Kong’s election cannot be easily changed, and that it is important to avoid a “vacuum period” in the legislature.

Mr Lok said it is in the city’s interest to proceed as the newly elected lawmakers could help drive reforms needed to prevent disasters like the fire at a building complex that left at least 159 people dead.

In the aftermath of the blaze at Wang Fuk Court on Nov 26 – the city’s deadliest fire in nearly eight decades – the government suspended election campaigning for about a week.

“At this difficult time, voters should approach their civic responsibilities with more seriousness” and get out to cast their ballots, RTHK reported Mr Lok as saying. “Only this will fulfil the overall interest of Hong Kong.”

The election chief added that the elections are not draining resources from the government’s disaster relief work.

On Dec 7, the city’s 4 million eligible voters will choose 90 Legislative Council members from 161 government-vetted candidates, who will serve four-year terms.

The last elections held in 2021 – the first to be held under an electoral overhaul imposed by Beijing – saw record-low turnout. BLOOMBERG