Hong Kong, May 8 (IANS): Polling is underway on Sunday for the sixth-term Chief Executive election of Hong Kong.

Members of the Election Committee will cast their secret ballots on a one-person-one-vote basis at the main polling station at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, reports Xinhua news agency.

The validly nominated candidate for this election is John Lee, former Chief Secretary.

To reduce the flow of people at the main polling station due to Covid-19, the voting period will be half an hour longer than that of the previous Chief Executive elections and will run until 11:30 a.m.

After the polling concludes, the vote counting will be conducted manually.

The returning officer will announce the election results after the vote count.

The candidate must obtain more than 750 votes to win the election to become the Chief Executive designate, pending appointment by the Central People's Government before being sworn in on July 1.

Last month, incumbent Chief Executive Carrie Lam had announced that she won't seek a second term and would not contest in the election.

Lam, who became the Chief Executive in 2017, had said that her decision was "entirely" based on family considerations.