【明報專訊】THE District Council elections will be held next month. Except for the South Horizons West constituency which is still surrounded by some uncertainty, the list of candidates in every district has been confirmed. The upcoming District Council elections will be held amid the anti-amendment storm, and the atmosphere for elections is abnormal. With a cloud of political violence hanging overhead, it is inevitable that campaigning activities will be affected. Still, the government should try to make sure that the elections will be held smoothly as scheduled. For an election to be fair and just, the first thing to do is to ensure "freedom from fear", i.e. that candidates will not refrain from canvassing for votes because of the threat of violence and voters will not be afraid of casting their votes. To Hong Kong, the upcoming District Council elections will be an important test. We hope that all sides of society will pay regard to the city's interests as a whole and let the elections be held in circumstances free of fear and violence.