​The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, today (January 8) visited a 2023 Rural Ordinary Election polling station at Fanling Public School in North District.

     The Rural Ordinary Election is held every four years and is an election arranged in accordance with the Rural Representative Election Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation. The election is conducted by the Home Affairs Department and supervised by the Electoral Affairs Commission, and has always been conducted in an open, fair and honest manner. The Ordinance covers two types of rural representatives to be elected in accordance with the law, namely the Village Representatives and the Kaifong Representatives. The Village Representative (including Indigenous Inhabitant Representative and Resident Representative) Election is conducted today, while the Kaifong Representative Election will be held on January 15.

     Miss Mak today visited a Village Representative Election polling station and noted the smooth operation. She said that eligible electors should vote at polling stations according to the date, time and venue specified in the polling notice, and must carry original copies of their identity documents or other statutory alternative documents to collect ballot papers.

     Miss Mak said it is the first time that polling for a Village Representative Election is conducted within one day. Moreover, in light of the epidemic situation, a special polling station has been set up at the Penny's Bay Community Isolation Facility to enable registered electors who are under isolation to cast their votes.

     Miss Mak would like to appeal to all registered electors to vote for their desired candidate for building a harmonious rural community. She would like to express gratitude to all supporting parties, especially the Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission, Mr Justice David Lok, and Commission members Mr Arthur Luk, SC and Professor Daniel Shek for ensuring that the election is held orderly.

     There are 1 640 candidates in the Village Representative Election. Since one of the two candidates contesting in the Indigenous Inhabitant Representative Election has passed away, the remaining candidate was returned uncontested. As such, 1 083 candidates have been returned uncontested in the current Election, while 566 candidates will compete for 286 seats in the Village Representative Election.

Ends/Sunday, January 8, 2023
Issued at HKT 14:05

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