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The 2007 Village Representative Elections, held over five consecutive weekends, concluded successfully today (February 4).
Rounding up the 10 polling days, a total of 632 candidates from 191 villages contested 324 seats, including 200 Indigenous Inhabitants Representatives (IIRs) and 124 Resident Representatives (RRs). The overall turnout rate reached 67.08%, of which the respective turnouts for the RR and the IIR Elections were 66.97% and 67.18%, with 43,220 people casting their votes.
Total turnout for polling today (February 4), was 74.53%, with 1,612 of the 2,163 registered voters casting their votes. 22 candidates from 8 villages contested 11 seats, including 6 IIRs and 5 RRs, in respective villages.
¡§I am pleased that the elections were completed smoothly. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission Mr Justice Pang Kin-kee and members Mr Lawrence Lok Ying-kam and Professor Chan Chi-fai, for their advice and support. They have visited various polling and counting stations to witness those elections in the past few weeks,¡¨ the Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr Patrick Ho said.
Dr Ho also thanked voters for their active participation. He hoped that those elected would work with the Government to foster better development relating to villages.
There were 1,480 seats for the 2007 Village Representative Elections, with 994 seats returned uncontested and 160 seats vacant with no valid nominations.
Ends/Sunday, February 4, 2007
Issued at HKT 20:15
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