An election for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s (SAR) next chief executive will be held on Sunday, with three candidates on the ballot vying for the position.

A committee of some 1,200 members will vote for the next leader of the city of 7.3 million people, three months before Hong Kong celebrates the 20th anniversary of its return to China.

The three contenders are the city’s former chief secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, ex-finance chief John Tsang Chun-wah and retired judge Woo Kwok-hing. The three rivals are preparing for last-ditch efforts to win the race.

Local media reports have said John Tsang will gather up to 2,000 people to rally on Friday evening in a move to demonstrate his commitment to building Hong Kong with “trust and solidarity.” However, Carrie Lam said she would not hold any high-profile campaign events before Sunday's vote, but will continue to seek support from the public and different sectors in the last two days before voting begins.

The first round of voting on Sunday will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on the third floor of the Grand Hall of the Convention and Exhibition Center on Hong Kong Island. A second round of voting will follow from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. if there is no overall winner after the first round. If necessary, a third round of voting would be between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m..

Any candidate who receives at least 601 votes of support in any round of voting will replace incumbent Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, whose term ends on June 30 this year. Leung cited family reasons for not seeking a second term, with Beijing saying it respects his decision.

The outgoing Hong Kong chief was recently elected as vice chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body, during the “Two Sessions” political season earlier this month.

Sunday's election will be the first since 2012, and comes after a five-year period that saw the "Occupy Central" movement paralyze parts of the city for nearly three months in 2014.