Hong Kong Acting Chief Executive Donald Tsang and Electoral Affairs Commission Chairman Justice WooKwok-hing on Friday welcomed the Report of the Independent Committee of Experts for the Review of the Management, Planning & Conduct of Elections.

The report affirms the integrity, fairness and impartiality of the 2004 Legislative Council (LegCo) Election on July 1 was not compromised.

Tsang received the report on Friday and thanked the committee for their dedication. The comprehensive report spells out conclusions regarding polling day problems, and sets out some recommendations.

"The government accepts the report's conclusions and recommendations, and will, together with the Electoral Affairs Commission, consider how to take forward the recommendations with a view to improving the practical arrangements for future elections," he said.

Hong Kong Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Stephen Lam said ways to better support the commission with relevant expertise will be explored. Enhanced staff training, improvements to logistical arrangements and wider use of information technology will also be studied.

Justice Woo said the recommendations will be studied in detail.

"Last year's LegCo Election revealed there was room for improvement in the management, planning and conduct of the elections. In light of the experiences gained, we have introduced a series of improvement measures in the recent Election Committee Subsector by-elections," he said.

These measures include preparing a detailed contingency plan, putting more senior officers in charge at the central command center on polling day, and providing basic training on crisis management for polling staff.

The Independent Committee of Experts was established last December for reviewing the Management, Planning and Conduct of the Legislative Council Elections in July.

Source: Xinhua