Hong Kong to take hard line on Legco poll disruptions, civil servants urged to vote
City leader writes to civil servants to encourage them to vote but has no ‘hard target’ for election turnout rate
Hong Kong authorities will take a hard line towards any disruptions to the coming Legislative Council election, the city’s leader has warned, while also issuing a letter to all civil servants urging them to vote in the December poll.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also stressed on Tuesday that there was no “hard target” for the election turnout rate, but dodged a question on whether any government workers who did not vote would be punished.
Last Friday, the central government’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office shared a strongly worded commentary calling for vigilance against any attempts to jeopardise the December 7 election.
It also cautioned that local law enforcement agencies would not “sit back and do nothing”.
In the run-up to the election, all 12 lawmakers aged 70 and above have announced they will not run for another term, fuelling speculation that an age limit has been set for legislators.
Twenty-eight members of the current Legco have indicated they will not seek re-election.