This photo dated April 25, 2019 shows the exterior wall of the Legislative Council building at Tamar, Hong Kong. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG - The general election for the seventh-term Legislative Council will be held on Sept 6 this year and the nomination period is scheduled for July 18 to 31, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s government said on Wednesday.

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The dates will be gazetted on June 12, the spokesman said in a press release.

The Registration and Electoral Office will set up more than 610 ordinary polling stations for the election

To ensure that all candidates, including serving LegCo members, compete on a level playing field, the current council will stand prorogued on July 18 and its operation will then be terminated, according to the press release.

The spokesperson said the decision was made after the chief executive had taken into consideration the relevant statutory provisions concerning the determination of a general election date, the nomination period preceding an election, and the practice adopted in the past public elections.

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According to a document on the arrangements for the 2020 LegCo general election submitted to the LegCo by the HKSAR government, the 2020 Final Register is planned to be published before July 25. The Registration and Electoral Office will set up more than 610 ordinary polling stations for the election. About 31,000 electoral staff will be recruited and trained for carrying out polling and counting duties on the polling day.

With Xinhua inputs