Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor speaks during a press conference in Hong Kong, Nov 23, 2021 ahead of the Executive Council meeting. (VINCENT YU / AP)
A plan to allow Hong Kong residents on the Chinese mainland to cast their votes in the upcoming Legislative Council election at the city's closed checkpoints will be released this week, the city’s leader disclosed on Tuesday.
The plan, a one-off measure, will exempt those Hong Kong residents from mandatory quarantine after the voting while returning to the Chinese mainland, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said while speaking to journalists ahead of an Executive Council meeting in the morning.
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Hong Kong residents who wish to vote have to register and indicate where they would like to cast their votes in advance, she added.
According to the latest national census released in May, there were over 371,000 Hong Kong residents living on the mainland
The makeshift polling stations will be set up in those closed checkpoints, said Lam.
Since February 2020, Hong Kong has closed its land ports with the Chinese mainland, leaving only Shenzhen Bay checkpoint.
Those entering these polling stations to vote will have to return to the mainland after casting their votes and will not be allowed to enter the community.
Hong Kong will hold its Legislative Council election on Dec 19, in which over 4 million registered voters will return 90 lawmakers.
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According to the latest national census released in May, there were over 371,000 Hong Kong residents living on the Chinese mainland, a 58.15 percent jump compared with the previous census in 2010.