Legislative Council (LegCo) election polls opened at 8:30 a.m. local time on Sunday in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in the first election since the improvement to its electoral system.

There are more than 600 polling stations across Hong Kong for about 4.5 million registered electors to cast their votes.

The membership of the seventh term of the HKSAR LegCo will increase from 70 to 90, and the members are to be elected by the Election Committee constituency (40 seats), functional constituencies (30 seats), and geographical constituencies (20 seats), respectively.

In the Election Committee constituency, 51 candidates are competing for 40 seats; in the functional constituencies, 67 candidates are competing for 30 seats; in the geographical constituencies, 35 candidates are competing for 20 seats.

Due to border control measures over COVID-19, polling stations were also set up at checkpoints at Heung Yuen Wai, Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line. Hong Kong voters in the Chinese mainland can briefly cross into Hong Kong to cast their ballots.

A Hong Kong voter who lives in the Chinese mainland passes through a checkpoint to Hong Kong for LegCo elections in Hong Kong, China, on December 19, 2021. (Photo/CGTN)

Various public transport operators, including the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited, franchised bus operators and Hong Kong Tramways, are providing free rides for the public on polling day.

Voting will end at 10:30 p.m. local time Sunday.

As of 11:30 a.m., the turnout rate for the geographical constituencies was 9.35 percent, with 418,061 voters had cast their ballots. The rate for the Election Committee constituency was 58.01 percent. 

The LegCo is the legislature of the HKSAR. The Chief Executive in Council, in accordance with the Legislative Council Ordinance, has specified January 1, 2022, as the commencement date of the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR.

The term of office of the LegCo is four years.

Editor: Ye Ke