In this Oct 20, 2023 photo, residents pass by a giant banner installed by the Hong Kong government as part of its publicity campaign for the 2023 District Council Ordinary Election, which is scheduled to be held on Dec 10. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – All of the 399 individuals seeking to contest the 2023 District Council Ordinary Election of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have been deemed to be valid candidates.

After reviewing their nominations for the seventh-term District Councils, the District Council Eligibility Review Committee (DCERC) determined on Friday that their nominations are valid.

“The District Council Eligibility Review Committee considered that all candidates meet the legal requirements and conditions for upholding the Basic Law and bearing allegiance to the HKSAR of the People's Republic of China,” the government said in a statement.

This year's district council election – the city’s first district council election in the wake of an array of reforms to its district-level governance in the aftermath of the social unrest of 2019 – has been scheduled for Dec 10. 

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Beginning on Oct 17, the nomination period for the election ended on Oct 30. The Returning Officers for the 18 District Committees constituencies and 44 District Council geographical constituencies received 399 nomination forms during this period. One nominee withdrew from the election, according to the statement.

The DCERC published a notice in the Gazette on Friday with names, addresses, and candidate numbers of the 399 candidates determined to be validly nominated in fulfillment of the legal requirement.

The District Councils (Amendment) Ordinance 2023 came into effect on July 10, enabling the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" to also be fully implemented at the district governance level.

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The new term District Council will comprise of 470 members – comprising 179 appointed members, 176 District Committee constituency members, 88 District Council geographical constituency members, and 27 ex-officio members. It will assume office on Jan 1 for a four-year term.