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The 2015 Rural Representative Election (RRE), covering Village Representative (VR) Election and Kaifong Representative (KFR) Election, held over four consecutive Sundays, concluded successfully today (January 25) with an overall turnout of 62.66 per cent.
Rounding up the VR Election held on January 4, 11 and 18, a total of 835 candidates from 328 villages contested 420 VR seats, including 272 Indigenous Inhabitants Representatives (IIRs) and 148 Resident Representatives (RRs). The overall turnout rate of this year reached 63.35 per cent, of which the respective turnouts for the IIR and the RR Elections were 63.11 per cent and 63.71 per cent, with 54 229 voters casting their votes.
As for the KFR Election held today, a total of 89 candidates contested 39 Cheung Chau KFR seats and 17 Peng Chau KFR seats. The overall turnout rate reached 56.19 per cent, of which the respective turnouts for Cheung Chau and Peng Chau were 54.63 per cent and 60.39 per cent, with 5 134 casting their votes.
Prisoners or remanded unconvicted persons, who have registered as electors, can vote at dedicated polling stations. In the four polling days, 48 prisoners or remanded unconvicted persons cast their votes.
There were 1 540 seats for the 2015 RRE, with 944 seats returned uncontested and 120 seats left vacant with no valid nomination. This year, there were a total of 189 538 and 9 137 eligible registered electors in the VR Election and KFR Election respectively.
The tenure of office for the new term of VRs and KFRs will run from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2019. There are two types of VRs, namely IIRs and RRs. The major role of an IIR is to reflect views on the affairs of an indigenous village on behalf of the indigenous inhabitants of that village, and to deal with all affairs relating to the lawful traditional rights and interests, and the traditional way of life, of those indigenous inhabitants.
The major role of an RR or KFR is to reflect views on the affairs of a village / market town on behalf of the residents of that village / market town. An RR/KFR shall not deal with any affairs relating to the lawful traditional rights and interests of indigenous inhabitants.
Ends/Sunday, January 25, 2015
Issued at HKT 21:58
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