The Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) issued guidelines for the election of the chief executive of the HKSAR in 2022 in accordance with the Electoral Affairs Commission Ordinance (Chapter 541) on the 27th. The nomination period for the election of the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2022 will begin on February 20 and end on March 5. The election will be held on March 27. Feng Hua, chairman of the EAC, introduced that the guidelines for the election of the chief executive were revised as appropriate and necessary based on the guidelines issued in October 2016. There are about 50 major amendments, reflecting the amendments to relevant election laws, mainly including annexes I and II of the revised Hong Kong Basic Law, the improvement of the electoral system (comprehensive amendment) Ordinance 2021, etc. According to the newly amended election law, the candidate for the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2022 must be nominated by not less than 188 members of the election committee and not less than 15 members in each of the five sectors of the election committee. Each member of the election committee may nominate only one candidate and cannot withdraw or revoke it. According to Annex I of the basic law of Hong Kong, the candidate qualification examination committee (QAC) is responsible for examining and confirming the qualifications of candidates for the election of the chief executive. The AAC may request the returning officer to provide opinions, and may also make decisions in accordance with the examination opinions of the Committee for the maintenance of national security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Chief Executive shall be elected by election committee members by secret ballot with one person, one vote. Both contested and non contested elections must be voted, and candidates must obtain more than 750 valid votes to be elected. The first round of voting in the contested election is from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on March 27 this year. Candidates who have obtained more than 750 valid votes are elected in the election. If there are three or more candidates, but none of them has obtained more than 750 valid ballots in the first round of balloting, a second round of balloting will be held. The second round of voting will be held from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on March 27. In principle, it will be contested by the two candidates with the highest votes left after elimination. In the non competitive election in which only one candidate has been validly nominated for election, the voting time is from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on March 27 this year. Candidates who obtain more than 750 valid "support" votes are elected in the election. The registration and Electoral Office will set up a main polling station at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for election committee members to vote in the chief executive election. The central counting station is located at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. The counting will be conducted manually by the staff of the counting station under the supervision of the candidates, election agents or counting agents present. The guidelines also state that the maximum amount of election expenses for candidates in the chief executive election will be increased from HK $15.7 million to HK $17.6 million. The election expenses incurred by a candidate must not exceed the maximum amount prescribed by law, otherwise it will be an offence. A notice on the nomination period for the election of the sixth chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the appointment of the returning officer was gazetted on the 27th. [News Agency]