No target for turnout in Legco polls: Erick Tsang

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang says the government has not set a target for turnout in Sunday’s Legislative Council election, as he accused anti-China forces of trying to undermine the poll by calling for a boycott.

Speaking on a radio programme, Tsang said he’d noticed some foreign forces had appealed to people to cast blank votes while saying that a low turnout would mean that the new electoral system is a failure.

He said their “plot” would not succeed as whatever they did would not change the fact that Hong Kong is part of China and that our country is determined to restore the order in the SAR.

Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary John Lee appealed to the public to vote in Sunday’s polls to stop foreign agents and destructive forces from prevailing.

He wrote on his blog that people should cast their ballots and choose an efficient legislature that could both monitor and work with the government at the same time to build a better Hong Kong.

“The SAR must properly implement the principle of patriots governing and ensure the Legislative Council is a constructive legislature that will solve problems in a pragmatic way,” he wrote.

“Councillors must do real work in the interests of our country’s development and Hong Kong’s long-term stability.”