TNAG-2719-FCO40-3925-Hong-Kong-electoral-provisions-and-arrangements-1993 — Page 186

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INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

REGIONAL COUNCIL BY-ELECTION.

1.

A REGIONAL COUNCIL (RC) BY-ELECTION FOR THE SAI KUNG CONSTITUENCY WAS HELD ON 8 AUGUST TO FILL THE VACANCY CREATED BY THE CONVICTION (OF BRIBERY OFFENCE) OF FORMER LEGCO AND RC MEMBER GILBERT LEUNG. (THE LEGCO BY-ELECTION WAS HELD ON 28 JULY: SEE OUR TELNO 1258).

2.

THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 7 CANDIDATES CONE UDHK, ONE ADPL, ONE DABHK, ONE MEETING POINT, TWO INDEPENDENTS, AND ONE AFFILIATED TO RURAL INTERESTS). THIS FIGURE BROKE PREVIOUS RECORDS ON THE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES CONTESTING A VACANCY IN ANY ELECTION. SOME PRESS REPORTS SPECULATED THAT THIS WAS BECAUSE THE LARGER POLITICAL GROUPS WANTED TO USE THE OCCASION AS A 'WARM UP EXERCISE' FOR THE 1994/95 ELECTIONS.

3

THE CONSTITUENCY HAD A REGISTERED ELECTORATE OF 47,000, OF WHOM OVER 16,700 VOTED, REPRESENTING A TURNOUT RATE OF 35.5 PERCENT. THIS COMPARED FAVOURABLY WITH A TURNOUT RATE OF 30.9 PERCENT FOR THE SAME CONSTITUENCY DURING THE 1991 RC ELECTIONS. COMMENTATORS ATTRIBUTED THE RELATIVELY HIGH VOTER PARTICIPATION TO CAMPAIGNING ACTIVITIES BY THE POLITICAL GROUPS.

4.

MR LAM WING-YIN OF UDHK WAS ELECTED WITH 28 PERCENT OF VALID VOTES CAST. MR CHEUNG HON-TIN OF DABHK CAME A CLOSE SECOND WITH 24.1 PERCENT. MR LAM IS 34 YEARS OLD AND IS AN ACCOUNTANT.

FORD

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