Poster promoting District Council Election and encouraging people to cast their votes seen at the Central, Hong Kong on Friday. Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is preparing to hold the first District Council election since its reform of the electoral system. From the arrival area of the airport to bus stops, parking lots, overpasses, and exhibition halls in urban areas, posters promoting the elections and encouraging people to vote are visible everywhere, the Global Times reporters found on Friday.

The posters, written in both Chinese and English, state, "12/10, Vote in the District Council Election for a Better Community," and also include a detailed website for resi-dents to find more information. 

On Hong Kong Island, promotional slogans and posters of various candidates can be seen on almost every street corner.

A total of 399 candidates have registered for the 7th District Council Election in the HKSAR, with an average of four candidates vying for two seats in direct elections. 

Candidates and volunteers are trying their best to deliver or demonstrate their past proven records of contributions, experience and political platforms to potential voters and supporters, Chu Kar-kin, a local resident who has been helping several candidates in their election campaigns, told the Global Times on Friday.

"I have supported a few candidates as voluntary helpers on the campaign. The community is supportive to the candidates.  We hope to vote for the most capable candidate to serve our community," he added.

It will be the first District Council Election since the city adopted the District Council amendment in July, which, in accordance to the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," aims to put an end to the chaotic political performance of previous years when opposition forces hijacked district councils for political goals. 

Since 2020, some district council members have disregarded their functions by endangering national security, advocating "Hong Kong secessionism" and opposing the National Security Law for Hong Kong.

Around 6 pm near Wan Chai metro station, the Global Times reporters saw a very rare scene of three candidates from the district greeting, cheering for each other and taking pictures together. "This is unprecedented, as candidates are not attacking each other in a malicious manner like some political figures in 2019 did. They are running their cam-paigns in a friendly and respectful way as they all hope to do good things for our com-munities," a local resident surnamed Wong told the Global Times on Friday. 

The District Council Election in 2019 was highly politicized as anti-government political figures hijacked it to attack the government and challenge the city's constitutional order. After the electoral reform, the District Council also returns to its role of serving communities rather than hyping up political agendas. 

Several candidates told the Global Times that this year's election is "highly competitive." Some candidates have the support of major political groups, some are well-known TV hosts, and others are Wan Chai natives, all vying to see who can do more for the community in the realm of public welfare.

"We, the candidates, are all patriots, and we are competing through our political plat-forms to win the hearts of local residents," Jeff, Wong Sau-tung, a candidate in Wan Chai district, told the Global Times. 

"I have been visiting many local residents to understand their requests in recent weeks. Those residents really hope that this election can help elect district councilors who serve the community," Wong said. 

Some candidates also believe that there will be a high turnout on Sunday, as many local residents have shown a keen desire to vote. 

Another candidate, Raymond Lee, told the Global Times that if elected, he would focus on up-dating the infrastructure of the Wan Chai district and improving educational conditions for young people.