OWEN.FUNG@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Saturday, 30 July, 2016, 1:41am
Mr Justice Barnabas Fung Wah, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission. Photo: Edward Wong
The Electoral Affairs Commission, the outfit at the centre of the controversial change of the electoral ground rules, was set up in 1997.
Headed by Mr Justice Barnabas Fung Wah and comprising two other members, the commission is responsible for overseeing the elections of the Legislative Council, district councils and the Election Committee that selects the chief executive.
According to its aims, the body seeks to ensure that the “elections are conducted openly, honestly and fairly”.
While the chairman of the commission and the two members are appointed by the chief executive, the commission maintains it is an “independent, impartial and apolitical body”.
For the Legco and district council elections, the commission draws the boundaries of the geographical constituencies and sets out election rules and guidelines.
With the recent decision to demand candidates sign an additional declaration, the role of the returning officers in the Legco elections has come under the spotlight.
Appointed by the commission, the returning officers are in charge of overseeing the election process, from processing candidates’ nominations to announcing the results.
For the upcoming Legco race, the returning officers in the five geographical constituencies are district officers under the Home Affairs Department.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1996716/whos-who-electoral-affairs-commission
