HK holds election for Legislative Council

Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa came to the Hong Kong Park Sports Center to cast his vote for the third term Legislative Council (LegCo) election at 9:00 a.m. Sunday.

A total of 501 polling stations in Hong Kong are open to the electors to cast their votes from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday.

Tung said that as a citizen, he came to the polling station to cast his vote to practice his duty, and as a chief executive, he would cooperate with the new Legislative Council in advancing Hong Kong's economic development and maintaining Hong Kong's prosperityand stability.

The third term of Hong Kong's LegCo will be composed of 60 members, with 30 to be returned by functional constituencies and another 30 by geographical constituencies through direct elections.

A total of 159 candidates have been validly nominated for the LegCo election. Of which, 11 candidates have been elected unopposed in 11 functional constituencies to the Legislative Council.

About 3.4 million people (3.2 million from geographical constituencies and 0.2 million from functional constituencies) have registered as electors for the LegCo election, who will choose the remaining 49 members of Hong Kong's third term LegCo.

The LegCo is Hong Kong's legislative body. The term of office of the third term LegCo members will begin on Oct. 1, 2004, and last for four years.

Backgrounder: Election for Hong Kong's third term Legislative Council

Under the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China, the main functions of the Legislative Council are to enact laws, examine and approve budgets, taxation and public expenditure, and monitor the work of the government.

The Legislative Council is also given the power to endorse the appointment and removal of the judges of the Court of Final Appeal and the chief judge of the High Court.

The Legislative Council has 60 members. For the first term of the Legislative Council from 1998 to 2000, 30 members were returned by functional constituencies, 20 by geographical constituencies through direct elections, and 10 by an election committee of 800 elected representatives of the community.

For the second term of Hong Kong's LegCo with a four-year term of office, the members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections rose to 24, with 30 returned by functional constituencies and six by the election committee.

As for the third term of Hong Kong's LegCo, 30 members will be returned by functional constituencies and 30 by geographical constituencies through direct elections.

A total of 159 candidates were validly nominated for the third term LegCo election. Of which, 11 candidates have been elected unopposed in 11 functional constituencies to the Legislative Council.

About 3.4 million people (3.2 million from geographical constituencies and 0.2 million from functional constituencies) have registered as electors, who will choose the remaining 49 members of the third term LegCo on Sunday.

The term of office of the third term LegCo members will begin on Oct. 1, 2004, and last for four years.