|
The Maximum Amount of Election Expenses (District Council Election) Regulation will be gazetted on May 11, which lifts the election-expense limit from $45,000 to $48,000, the Constitutional Affairs Bureau said today.
The regulation will be tabled in the Legislative Council on May 16 for negative vetting. Subject to the regulation's passage, the new election-expense limit will come into effect on September 1, and apply to the District Council election this year.
The District Council election-expense limit has not been revised since 1994. The proposed adjustment aims to reflect the cumulative inflation rate.
Members of the Legco Panel on Constitutional Affairs were consulted at its meeting on February 8. The majority considered it appropriate to adjust the election-expense limit in line with inflation.
The election-expense limit is set to allow candidates to compete on a level playing field. The limit must not be so low as to place unreasonable restriction on electioneering activities, or so high as to deter less well-off candidates from standing.
|
