Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam Chi-yuen says case will be investigated following claim by DAB lawmaker Christopher Chung Shu-kun his party was able to “pass surplus” votes to another pro-Beijing party based on information from pollsters
JOYCE.NG@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Wednesday, 29 June, 2016, 6:14pm
No political party applied to conduct exit polls in the 2012 Legco elections. Photo: SCMP Pictures
The election watchdog is looking into whether exit-pollsters illegally fed data to a pro-establishment political party during the last Legislative Council elections, after a disgruntled party member made the claim earlier this month.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam Chi-yuen disclosed the move on Wednesday during a question-and-answer session in the legislature, when he was asked by a pan-democrat about the case, which allegedly involved the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.
“The Registration and Electoral Office is looking into the case,” Tam said. “If there is evidence indicating any approved applicant or applicant organisation failed to comply with guidelines, the Electoral Affairs Commission will take action according to the established mechanisms.”
Under law, any organisation authorised to conduct exit polls during an election should not release the results to any candidate before the close of polling stations. Any breach of the rule could lead to prosecution.
Legco elections are set for September. Photo: SCMP Pictures
No political party applied to conduct exit polls in 2012, but at least three groups doing so were associated with pro-Beijing individuals or organisations.
Tam’s announcement comes after DAB lawmaker Christopher Chung Shu-kun said on a radio show earlier this month that his party had been able to “pass surplus” votes to a candidate from another pro-Beijing party, the Federation of Trade Unions, in the Hong Kong Island constituency in 2012, because the DAB and its supporters were running exit polls.
Chung said the DAB stopped canvassing on the island after discovering its two candidates there, including himself, had enough votes, which would then have allowed space for the federation to maximise its vote share. He said his aim had been to display that he had plenty of support in the constituency.
Chung has been unable to secure the position of being the leading candidate on his party list in Hong Kong Island for the Legco elections this year, set for September.
His colleague Ip Kwok-him, who co-ordinated the DAB election campaign in 2012, on Wednesday defended the actions of the party.
“The DAB did not conduct exit polls,” Ip said. “I never gave any instruction that we should stop canvassing.”
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1983148/hong-kong-election-watchdog-probes-alleged-illegal-supply
