Chief Secretary Eric Chan said on Friday voting in next month’s Legislative Council elections is important as broad participation holds the key to a strong legislature and Hong Kong’s future prosperity.

He told RTHK Legco’s work directly affects daily life and that voting allows people to choose lawmakers who can truly reflect their views.

Chan said candidates have been debating and offering differing views on major issues at ongoing election forums organised by the government.

"The insults and exposure of private matters we saw at election forums in the past were not discussions about policy platforms," he said.

"I hope lawmakers can set a good example in how forums should be conducted. It shouldn’t be about attacking each other, trading insults, or using foul language. I don’t think these so-called ‘sparks’ are healthy or normal."

Chan also said the lawmakers come from different sectors, with some focusing more on livelihood issues while others are more concerned with labour, business and other areas, so it's wrong for some people to suggest that all candidates are similar and there's no point in voting.

While the government encourages civil servants to vote, the chief secretary stressed ballots are confidential and no one will be monitored or pressured.

Chan added that he's confident most civil servants will turn out to vote.

"Think about it – if the government is running an election and its own staff don’t vote, isn’t that funny?" he said.

"People would say, ‘What is the government doing if even its own people won’t vote?’ That wouldn’t be right."

The government will not predict the turnout or compare it with previous elections, Chan said, but added that a higher turnout would better reflect voters’ wishes.