Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam estimates it will take about four months for the Legislative Council by-election to fill the seat vacated following the death of Ma Lik.

Speaking to the media today, Mr Lam said there are procedures to be followed. The Legislative Council Secretariat will first issue a gazette notice signifying that a vacancy in the Legislative Council has arisen.

The Registration & Electoral Office will then have to hold a by-election according to established procedures.

"We need to take into account several factors in scheduling the by-election date. For example, we have to set aside two to three weeks as the nomination period, and four to six weeks as the vote-canvassing period.