A government vetting panel to review poll hopefuls' eligibility disqualified one of the city's 154 would-be candidates for the December Legco election.
Announcing the vetting process results on Friday, Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu, who also chairs the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee, said registered nurse Lau Tsz-chun who was vying for a seat in the medical and health service sector, has had his candidacy invalidated due to his being a government employee.
The Chief Secretary also said the mix of candidates from different classes and backgrounds passing the vetting process proved the election had achieved balanced representation.
"The candidates include those from the pro-establishment camp, the opposition camp...some of them are seeking re-election, and some are first-time candidates," said Lee.
The vetting panel is part of a new multilayer screening mechanism imposed on candidates who want to vie for a seat on the Election Committee, the LegCo, or run to become the chief executive.
In May, it was introduced in Hong Kong through a Beijing-steered electoral overhaul, which aimed to ensure only patriots hold power in the city and screened out those deemed a threat to national security.
The committee consists of three official members, including the Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, and Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui Ying-wai.
Three pro-Beijing figures – ex-justice minister Elsie Leung Oi-sie, former Legco chief Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai and former president of the Chinese University Lawrence Lau Juen-yee – were also sitting on the panel as non-official members.
Under the sweeping electoral changes, directly elected seats from the city's geographical constituencies have been cut from 35 to 20, even as the number of Legco seats has expanded from 70 to 90.
The Chief Secretary also said the mix of candidates from different classes and backgrounds passing the vetting process proved the election had achieved balanced representation.
"The candidates include those from the pro-establishment camp, the opposition camp...some of them are seeking re-election, and some are first-time candidates," said Lee.
The vetting panel is part of a new multilayer screening mechanism imposed on candidates who want to vie for a seat on the Election Committee, the LegCo, or run to become the chief executive.
In May, it was introduced in Hong Kong through a Beijing-steered electoral overhaul, which aimed to ensure only patriots hold power in the city and screened out those deemed a threat to national security.
The committee consists of three official members, including the Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, and Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui Ying-wai.
Three pro-Beijing figures – ex-justice minister Elsie Leung Oi-sie, former Legco chief Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai and former president of the Chinese University Lawrence Lau Juen-yee – were also sitting on the panel as non-official members.
Under the sweeping electoral changes, directly elected seats from the city's geographical constituencies have been cut from 35 to 20, even as the number of Legco seats has expanded from 70 to 90.