Govt raises defences against poll rumours and smears
A special team has been set up to combat any attacks, fake news or smear campaigns targeting next month's district council elections, the government said on Sunday. Constitutional Affairs Secretary Erick Tsang said such teams have existed in the past, but the current one has been made stronger, in light of "special risks" associated with the upcoming polls. "We have arranged a special team to monitor the information dissemination situation out there 24/7, to see if there is fake news, rumours. Once there is such a situation, we'll promptly make clarifications to set the record straight, for the polls to continue," Tsang said on a TVB programme. The public will only get to choose 88 of the 470 future councillors, but Tsang said the number of directly elected seats has no direct link to "so-called democracy", adding that this will come through consultations and meetings.  Tsang also said he does not think the public will be less inclined to vote now there are far fewer seats for them to decide, compared with previous district council elections. He noted that the number of directly elected legislative councillors fell to 20 in the last polls in 2021, but said he found the turnout was still satisfactory.  The government has particularly been urging civil servants to vote in the district council polls, but Tsang stressed that it is not compulsory for them to do so. Government workers will not have to report back to their superiors on whether or not they voted, he said.