Upon improving district governance and reforming the District Councils (DCs) in 2023, the seventh term of District Council election was successfully concluded on December 10 last year. The new term of DCs have assumed office since January 1 this year. The Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) Report on the 2023 District Council Ordinary Election (DCOE) was published today (April 19).
The Report describes the EAC's conduct and supervision of this election at various stages, and provides a detailed account of the related preparatory work, electoral arrangements, complaint handling, etc. The EAC also detailed in its Report their review of the procedures and arrangements for this election, including the investigation findings on the Electronic Poll Register system incident, and put forth specific enhancement recommendations for improving future electoral arrangements.
"We are very grateful to the EAC for their efforts and various arrangements made to ensure the smooth implementation of this election in a fair, just and clean manner, as well as their in-depth and detailed review of various electoral arrangements with respective recommendations," a Government spokesman said.
"The successful conclusion of this DC election is of particular significance. The reformed DCs have greatly benefited the implementation of livelihood-related work, and have been conducive to the welfare of people, enabling them to live and work in contentment. At the same time, the full implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and the "last piece of the puzzle" of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) governance system ensures the steadfast and successful implementation of "one country, two systems", and the long-term stability and safety of the HKSAR. The Government will continue to work closely with the EAC to follow up on the recommendations contained in the report," the Government spokesman continued.
In accordance with the requirements of the Electoral Affairs Commission Ordinance (Cap. 541), the EAC submitted the report on the 2023 DCOE to the Chief Executive on March 8, 2024. In line with the principle of open and transparent elections, the Government agreed with the EAC's recommendation that the report should be made public. The report can be downloaded from the EAC website (www.eac.hk) and is available for viewing at the Registration and Electoral Office and the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of District Offices.
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