Legislative Council Election candidates must understand and uphold the Basic Law.
The Electoral Affairs Commission made the statement today in response to public opinion on whether candidates will fully understand the Basic Law, particularly Articles 1, 12 and 159(4).
These articles stipulate that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China with a high degree of autonomy and there is no amendment to the Basic Law that shall contravene the nation’s established basic policies regarding Hong Kong.
A candidate must sign the declaration on the nomination form as part of the statutory procedure for nomination.
Candidates, in making the declaration, must clearly understand the context and legal consequences. Making a false declaration is liable to criminal sanction.
The Returning Officer will process the nomination according to the law and procedure, and determine whether the nomination is legally valid.
The Returning Officer has the statutory power to request further information from candidates if there are queries as to whether the nomination procedure has been complied with.
A Confirmation Form has been prepared for the use of the Returning Officers, so candidates can confirm that in signing the declaration on the form they have clearly understood the Basic Law’s articles.
The Confirmation Form can be downloaded from the 2016 Legislative Council Election website.
