Voting to proceed at Hong Kong overseas polling station amid Typhoon Saola
A sign warning the public of the powerful Super Typhoon Saola is seen at the entrance of a building, early in the morning, in Hong Kong, on Sep 1, 2023. (Photo: AP Photo/Daniel Ceng)
SINGAPORE: Voting for Singapore's Presidential Election will proceed at the overseas polling station in Hong Kong, despite the warning signal issued by the city's weather authority as Super Typhoon Saola draws closer.
The Elections Department (ELD) said on Friday (Sep 1) morning that it is aware that the Hong Kong Observatory issued a Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No 8 for the typhoon, its third-highest, which identifies it as a gale or storm.
Under this signal, members of the public are advised to complete all precautions in their homes, locking all windows and doors and inserting reinforced shutters and gates if they are available.
Cars should be parked in a safe place and people should avoid standing near windows on the exposed side of their homes.
Flights may also be affected by the weather.
Hong Kong Observatory also warned that the weather will "deteriorate rapidly" later on Friday, with heavy squally showers and violent winds expected. It added that it will assess the need to issue higher warning signals around the evening.
Voting at the polling station will open from 8am local time.
"Voters are also advised to vote early to avoid overcrowding, which might occur near to the closing of the poll at 8pm," ELD said.
"For their safety, voters should closely monitor the latest advice from the local authorities before planning to head outdoors."
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China issued the most severe warning in its four-tiered system on Thursday, with the National Meteorological Centre predicting Super Typhoon Saola would make landfall "somewhere in the coastal areas stretching from Huilai to Hong Kong" by Friday afternoon at the earliest.
Airline Cathay Pacific said it cancelled all flights in and out of Hong Kong between 6am GMT on Friday and 2am GMT on Saturday. Its budget subsidiary, HK Express, also announced it was cancelling 70 flights in and out of the city on Friday and Saturday.
Carriers Hong Kong Airlines and Greater Bay Airlines also called off flights.
In view of the warning signal, overseas voters who registered to vote but decide not to do so for their own safety can reach out to the ELD to restore their names to the Register of Electors.
Once their names are restored, they may continue to vote in future elections as long as they remain eligible voters.
Hong Kong is one of 10 cities with an overseas polling station. The other cities are Beijing, Canberra, Dubai, London, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo and Washington.
