District council elections slated for December 10
Hong Kong's district council elections will be held on December 10, officials announced on Monday. In a statement, a government spokesperson said the nomination period will run for two weeks from October 17 to 30, and encouraged those who're patriotic and have an affection for the SAR to put their names forward.  The December polls will be the first since a bill came into effect earlier this month to overhaul the city’s electoral system, to make sure that it is line with a “patriots-only” governance principle.  After the revamp, district councils will have a total of 470 members, with the vast majority of them being appointed by the government or selected by government-appointed bodies. The proportion of directly-elected seats, meanwhile, will be reduced from almost 95 percent to less than 20 percent.  "The seventh-term District Councils will strictly adhere to the positioning under the Basic Law to carry out advisory and services functions, duly contribute to the government's district governance work, and effectively respond to the expectations of the public," the government spokesman said.  Authorities stressed the elections will be conducted in an open, fair, and safe manner, and appealed to voters to exercise their civil rights by casting their ballots.