*********************************************

    The list of validly nominated candidates for Election Committee subsector by-elections and the results of the supplementary nominations for vacancies in the Religious Subsector were gazetted today (April 20).

    The by-elections and supplementary nominations are being held to fill 33 vacancies in the Election Committee, which will elect a new Chief Executive on July 10, 2005.

    A total of 52 candidates have been validly nominated for the by-elections in 16 Election Committee subsectors.

    Forty candidates are running for the 15 seats in the nine contested subsectors, namely Textiles and Garment, Accountancy, Architectural, Surveying and Planning, Chinese Medicine, Engineering, Higher Education, Legal, Agriculture and Fisheries and Hong Kong and Kowloon District Councils.

    Twelve candidates have been elected unopposed in the remaining seven subsectors, which are Finance, Import and Export, Industrial (First), Industrial (Second), Labour, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Heung Yee Kuk.

    Polling for the nine contested subsectors will be held on May 1, 2005 (Sunday). Registered voters will each be sent a poll card with a map indicating which polling station to visit.

    Registered voters in uncontested subsectors will be sent a notice of uncontested nomination, informing them that they need not go to the polls.

    The gazette notice also declared that six persons, put forward in supplementary nominations by related religious bodies, have been validly nominated as members of the Election Committee for the Religious Subsector. They are Ha Kay Wai Harry (nominated by the Chinese Muslim Cultural and Fraternal Association); Soo Yee Po Thomas (nominated by the Hong Kong Christian Council); Tong Wai Ki, Cheung Kam Hung and Lo Wai Kon (nominated by the Hong Kong Taoist Association) and Wu Tai Chow (nominated by the Confucian Academy).

Ends/Wednesday, April 20, 2005

NNNN