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Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang
Yam Kuen waves hands in Hong Kong, south China, March 25, 2007.(Xinhua
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HONG KONG, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Incumbent Donald Tsang Yam
Kuen won more than 80 percent of the ballots in the election of the third-term
chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on
Sunday, according to Returning Officer Justice Barnabas Fung Wah.
At about 11:50 a.m., Fung announced that of the 772
valid votes cast by members of the Election Committee, Tsang and Alan Leong,
Tsang's only contender, won 649 and 123, respectively. He declared that Tsang
had won victory in the election.
The whole process was under the supervision of the
Electoral Affairs Commission, scrutineers of the election candidates, the mass
public and the public media.
"The process of the voting and ballot counting was
smooth, and all arrangements were in line with election laws and regulations,"
said Electoral Affairs Commission Chairman Justice Pang Kin-kee. "The election
was fair, open and honest."
According to the Basic Law, the HKSAR chief executive
is elected by the broadly representative Election Committee and then appointed
by the Central People's Government.
After the appointment of the Central People's
Government, the elected will become the third-term chief executive of the HKSAR,
with his term of office starting on July 1, 2007 and ending on June 30, 2012.
Fung's announcement of Tsang's victory met with warm
applause from those present at the polling center. With tears in his eyes, Tsang
bowed to the audience, received a bouquet of flowers from his supporters and
embraced his wife.
At a press conference soon after the announcement,
Tsang said that the next-term HKSAR government under his leadership will be a
broadly representative one that will balance the interests of various sectors of
the society, pledging to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor.
"We shall do our utmost to push economic development
and establish Hong Kong as No. 1 international financial center in the region,"
he said.
He said that the election is a major step in Hong
Kong's constitutional development within the framework of the Basic Law, and a
success of the "one country, two systems" principle, vowing to take concrete
efforts to work towards the goal of constitutional development.
Voting of the election began at 9 a.m. Sunday at Hall
Two of the Asia World-Expo on Lantou Island in Hong Kong, with 789 members of
the 795-member Election Committee casting their secret ballots (the Election
Committee should have 800 members from different sectors. But four members each
is representing two sectors and one member has passed away).
"The result of the election meets people's
exceptions, indicating Tsang's good governance of Hong Kong over the past 18
months had been endorsed by most of the Election Committee members," said Tsang
Hin-chi, a member of the Election Committee and also a member of the Standing
Committee of China's National People's Congress.
"The election result reflects the mainstream will of
the people, that is, Hong Kong must develop forward in a stable manner," said Ma
Lik, also a member of the Election Committee and chairman of the Democratic
Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong.
"The election was permeated with a warm atmosphere,
and Tsang's overwhelming victory will help him in his governance in the next
five years," said Ivan Choy, senior instructor of the Government and Political
Administration Department under the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Tsang threw himself into the election campaign on
Feb. 1, 2007, with the slogan "I'll get the job done!" which soon became the
most frequently quoted phrase in Hong Kong.
In his election platform, Tsang promised to fully
leverage the advantages of "one country, two systems" to push forward economic
development, promote democratic process, consolidate Hong Kong's status as an
international metropolis and establish Hong Kong as the country's international
financial center.
"I will lead the government, a government that will
become a force for political progress in Hong Kong, a government that will bring
Hong Kong into a new era and establish Hong Kong as a dynamic, multicultural and
vibrant metropolis," he said in the platform.
On Feb. 16, Tsang submitted to the Electoral Affairs
Commission his nomination form. Of the 795-member Election Committee, he secured
641 nominations, far exceeding the minimum limit of 100 nominations and becoming
a formal candidate.
Leong, who obtained 132 of the nominations, submitted
his nomination form a day earlier, also becoming a qualified candidate.
On March 1 and 15, the two candidates faced off in
two televised public debates, briefing their respective election platforms and
taking questions from the Election Committee members, journalists and the public
media.
After the debates, Tsang was described by the public
as "a practical-minded person" with more experience in administration and
economic management.
Opinion polls by Hong Kong University also showed
that since Tsang launching his election campaign, his public supporting rate
kept rising. On Saturday, the rate jumped to 81 percent from 72 percent on Feb.
26.
"Tsang's victory is within my expectation, and I
think he is the right person to be the chief executive as he is very practical,"
said Gloria Luk, a 27-year-old businesswoman, after the election results were
announced.
She said that Tsang's past experience of helping Hong
Kong out of difficulties gave people confidence. "What is important, Tsang is
trusted by the central government and this is conducive to HongKong's stability,
prosperity and unity."
Born in 1944, Tsang joined the Civil Service in
January 1967 and has held many positions. He was elected HKSAR chief executive
on June 16, 2005 as his predecessor resigned because of health reasons, and was
formally appointed by the Central People's Government on June 21, 2005. His
current term of office will last until June 30, 2007.
By Wang Jingzhong, Annie Cheung
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