Former chief secretary John Lee announced he will submit his candidacy for the upcoming Chief Executive election on Wednesday, saying he has secured nominations from almost half of the Election Committee (EC) that will select Hong Kong's next leader.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday evening, the CE hopeful said he has received over 700 nominations from the 1,500-strong committee, well above the threshold needed to stand in next month's race.

To qualify, a candidate has to submit at least 188 nominations from EC members – with at least 15 from each of the five subsectors – by Thursday.

"It is time that I let people know the clear indication of standing for the election, so it is appropriate for me to actually register to stand for the election," Lee said.

"I will continue to appeal for people's support. So I will be approaching the Election Committee members again for their support in the eventual voting exercise.”

The former minister added that he will collect as many views as he can so that he can finalise his election platform as soon as possible