Hong Kong authorities reported spending HK$1.13 billion (US$144.27 million) on last year's Legislative Council election, nearly 35% more than in 2021. The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau revealed the figure in a written response to lawmakers' inquiries on Thursday, citing rises in technology expenses, staff salaries and venue rentals. The poll, held on December 7, elected 90 lawmakers.
The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau revealed in a written response to lawmakers' inquiries on Thursday the revised budget for the Registration and Electoral Office for the 2025-26 financial year, totalling HK$1.13 billion for the Legislative Council election, including preparatory work and voter registration drives.
The figure marks a 34.6% increase from the HK$841 million spent on the 2021 poll, driven primarily by higher spending on information technology support, promotional campaigns, venue rentals and staff pay, according to the office.
The election took place on December 7 last year to elect 90 lawmakers, recruiting about 34,000 civil servants to assist. Operational expenses accounted for HK$680 million, covering polling and counting station operations, venue rentals and leasing of temporary offices; personnel expenses totalled HK$300 million, and HK$149 million went to promotion efforts.
The details emerged as part of responses to the Finance Committee.
