### District Councils Ordinance 《區議會條例》

17B. Decision on validity of registration
(1) The Designated Officer must, as soon as practicable after receiving a registration form, forward the form to the Eligibility Review Committee.
(2) The Eligibility Review Committee must, as soon as practicable after receiving a registration form forwarded by the Designated Officer, decide whether or not the registration is valid.
(3) Without prejudice to sections 17, 17A and 19, the Eligibility Review Committee may decide a registration of a person to be invalid if and only if—
(a) the registration form has not been completed or signed as required under section 17A;
(b) the Eligibility Review Committee is satisfied that the person is disqualified from being registered as an ex officio member; or
(c) the Eligibility Review Committee is satisfied that the person is dead.
(4) In deciding whether a registration of a person is valid, the Eligibility Review Committee—
(a) may require the Designated Officer to furnish any information in the possession of the Officer that relates to any of the matters specified in subsection (5);
(b) may require the person to furnish any other information that the Committee considers appropriate for enabling the Committee to be satisfied as to the validity of the registration; and
(c) may require the Designated Officer to obtain any other information that relates to any of the matters specified in subsection (5) from any person.
(5) The matters specified for subsection (4)(a) and (c) are—
(a) whether sections 17 and 17A are complied with in relation to the person;
(b) whether the registration of the person is valid;
(c) whether the registration form has been completed or signed as required under section 17A;
(d) whether the person is disqualified from being registered as an ex officio member; and
(e) whether the person is dead.
(6) If the Eligibility Review Committee decides that a registration of a person is invalid—
(a) the Committee must endorse on the relevant registration form the decision and the reasons for it; and
(b) the Designated Officer must, as soon as practicable, inform the Chief Electoral Officer of the decision and the reasons in writing.
(7) After the Eligibility Review Committee has made a decision on the validity of a registration of a person—
(a) the Designated Officer must, as soon as practicable, inform the person of the decision in writing; and
(b) if the registration of the person is decided as valid—
(i) the Committee must, as soon as practicable, publish in the Gazette a notice declaring the registration as valid; and
(ii) the Designated Officer must, within 21 days after the decision, publish in the Gazette the person’s name and his or her term of office as an ex officio member.
(Added 19 of 2023 s. 16)

### District Councils Ordinance 《區議會條例》

17C. Member taken to have resigned on becoming ex officio member
If—
(a) a person is holding office as a member of a District Council (otherwise than being an ex officio member) (first office

### District Councils Ordinance 《區議會條例》

19A. When the office of ex officio member becomes vacant
(1) The office of an ex officio member becomes vacant if—
(a) the member dies;
(b) the member’s term of office as Chairman of a Rural Committee ends;
(c) the member otherwise ceases to hold office as Chairman of a Rural Committee; or
(d) the member is disqualified under section 26A from holding office as a member.
(2) For the purpose of constituting the seventh term of the District Councils, if a person who is an ex officio member of the sixth term of office of a District Council fails to submit a registration form in accordance with section 17A, the office of the ex officio member becomes vacant at the end of the sixth term of office of the District Council.
(3) If the office of an ex officio member becomes vacant under subsection (1) or (2), the person or the person’s successor as the Chairman of the Rural Committee (as the case requires) may be registered as an ex officio member in accordance with this Division.
(Added 19 of 2023 s. 19)

20. Who is eligible to be nominated as a candidate
(1) A person is eligible to be nominated as a candidate at an election only if the person—
(a) has reached 21 years of age; and
(b) is registered as an elector in the existing GC register; and (Amended 19 of 2023 s. 21)
(c) is not disqualified from voting at an election; and
(d) is not disqualified from being nominated as a candidate or elected as a member by virtue of section 21 or any other law; and (Amended 19 of 2023 s. 21)
(e) has ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for the 3 years immediately preceding the nomination.
(2) A person who holds office as a member of a District Council is not eligible to be nominated in a by-election as a candidate.
(3) A person who holds office as the Chairman of a Rural Committee is not eligible to be nominated as a candidate at an election.
(4) A person is not eligible to be nominated as a candidate for a constituency if the person is currently nominated as a candidate for another constituency.

### District Councils Ordinance 《區議會條例》

22. How long member elected at election is to hold office
(Amended 19 of 2023 s. 23)(1) A member elected at an ordinary election holds office for a period of 4 years beginning on 1 January next following the ordinary election in which the member was elected and vacates office at the end of that period.
(2) A person elected to fill a vacancy caused by a member’s office becoming vacant under section 26 before the expiry of the full term, holds office from the date on which the result of the by-election at which the person was elected is declared and vacates office at the end of the term of office of the District Council during which the by-election was held.
(Amended 19 of 2023 s. 23)

23. Members elected at election taken to have accepted office
(Amended 19 of 2023 s. 24)(1) A person who is elected as a member at an election is to be regarded as having accepted office unless the person gives written notice of non-acceptance to the Designated Officer not later than 7 days after the date on which notification of the person’s election is published in the Gazette. (Amended 19 of 2023 s. 24)
(2) A notice of non-acceptance is not effective unless it is signed by the person concerned.
(3) A notice of non-acceptance takes effect on the date on which the notice is received by the Designated Officer and the person giving the notice is taken to have resigned from office as a member from that date. (Amended 19 of 2023 s. 24)
(4) If a person gives notice in accordance with this section, the Designated Officer must, within 21 days after receiving the notice, publish in the Gazette a notice to the effect that the person has not accepted office as a member.

25. How a member returned at election can resign
(Amended 19 of 2023 s. 26)(1) A member returned at an election may at any time resign from office as a member by giving written notice of resignation to the Designated Officer. (Amended 19 of 2023 s. 26)
(2) A notice of resignation is not effective unless it is signed by the member concerned.
(3) A notice of resignation takes effect—
(a) on the date on which the notice is received by the Designated Officer; or
(b) if a later date is specified in the notice, on that later date.