Authorities had received a total of 161nominations of aspirants vying for one of 90 seats in the upcoming legislature poll in Hong Kong on Dec 7, as the two-week nomination period drew to a close at 5 pm on Thursday.

The nominations, over 20 percent of which are for women — higher than in the last poll — set the stage for contested races across all constituencies, with officials renewing calls to the public to cast their votes.

Following the close of nominations, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen said that the candidates are of high quality and that all seats are contested. He urged the public to exercise their right to vote, emphasizing that “every vote counts”.

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Of the 89 incumbent legislators, 54 have submitted nomination forms to seek re-election, with some running on different constituencies. Meanwhile, at least 30 have announced they will not run again, including 12 aged 70 or above. At least 35 of the candidates in this election currently hold district council seats.

A breakdown of the nominations reveals that in the geographical constituencies, 51 candidates have put themselves forward to compete for the 20 seats available across Hong Kong's 10 districts.

The Kowloon Central constituency is set to be the most fiercely contested, with six candidates competing for a single seat. No incumbent legislators are seeking re-election in New Territories North and New Territories South East, guaranteeing fresh representation in both districts.

Sixty candidates will compete for 30 seats in the functional constituencies, which represent various sectors.

The Election Committee constituency, which has the largest number of seats at 40, received 50 nominations.

The newly elected legislators will serve a four-year term. Leung said he believes they will bring a wealth of experience, fresh ideas, and new policy proposals into the new-term legislature, injecting vitality and creating a new atmosphere.

He added that the next term will have significant responsibilities — helping all sectors of Hong Kong seize opportunities and deeply align with the national 15th Five-Year Plan.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, together with Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun, convened a working meeting on Thursday with the bureau heads, acting heads, and permanent secretaries of the six policy bureaus under their purview.

The meeting focused on actively planning and strengthening election publicity efforts to maximize impact and encourage industry professionals and the public to vote proactively.

In a Facebook post, Chan stressed the importance of leveraging the strengths and professional networks of each policy bureau and department to facilitate in-depth promotion for this election.

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“We will work together with a full mobilization effort to encourage broader and more enthusiastic participation from across society in this election, building a better future for Hong Kong,” he said.

At a Labour and Welfare Bureau and LabourDepartment event titled “Full Support of Labour Sector for 2025 Legislative Council General Election”, also on Thursday, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said that the composition of the Legislative Council directly relates to the labor force's well-being, and called on registered voters to cast their votes on polling day.

Other senior officials, including Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-wok, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan, and Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen, have also been mobilizing legal, business, local, and minority communities through meetings and street outreaches to vote for capable and patriotic legislators and help shape Hong Kong’s future.

Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com