Hong Kong’s 170,000 civil servants are ‘duty-bound’ to vote in district council election, 2 senior officials say

No 2 official Eric Chan and deputy Warner Cheuk call on government workers to cast ballots in first district council race held under Beijing’s electoral overhaul

Observers and some politicians expect poor turnout after revamped Legislative Council election held two years ago drew record low number of votes

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A Liberal Party election candidate hits the streets of North Point with supporters on Saturday. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 4:59pm, 18 Nov 2023Updated: 6:10pm, 18 Nov 2023

Hong Kong’s 170,000 civil servants are “duty-bound” to vote in next month’s district council election, two senior officials have said as authorities go “all out” to promote the poll amid reported apathy among voters.

The city’s No 2 official Eric Chan Kwok-ki and his deputy Warner Cheuk Wing-hing on Saturday called on the government workers to cast their ballots in the first district council race held under Beijing’s electoral overhaul to allow only “patriots” to run.

“Civil servants are duty-bound to vote, and they should lead by example to let the public know about the importance of voting,” Chan told a television programme.

The government has urged residents to vote and has been promoting the coming election. Photo: Martin Chan

The chief secretary, who earlier wrote to all government employees to ask them and their family members to cast their votes in the December 10 election, said it was their “civic responsibility” to do so.

“We will offer flexible work arrangements for civil servants on the day,” he said. “They can vote before going to work and if they need to reimburse taxi fare, it’s also fine.”

Observers and some politicians expect a poor turnout after the revamped Legislative Council election held two years ago drew a record low number of votes, with commentators also saying there is a lack of interest among residents about the coming poll.

In recent weeks, government officials have released several videos promoting the poll, and taken every chance to urge people to vote when speaking publicly.