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The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:
The Electoral Affairs Commission today (June 3) released for public consultation the proposed guidelines on election-related activities in respect of the Rural Representative Election.
Speaking at a press conference today, Commission Chairman Mr Justice Barnabas Fung Wah said, "The public consultation period for the proposed guidelines will last for 30 days from today until July 2.
"The proposed guidelines were drawn up by the Commission for the rural ordinary election to be held in January next year and all rural by-elections to be held afterwards.
"They are prepared on the basis of the existing guidelines for the Village Representative Elections, with suitable alterations mainly to reflect the latest amendments in the relevant electoral legislation."
A total of 1 484 Village Representatives, comprising 695 Resident Representatives and 789 Indigenous Inhabitant Representatives, will be returned for 709 villages in the next rural ordinary election. In addition, 39 and 17 Kaifong Representatives will be returned in the Kaifong Representative elections for the market towns of Cheung Chau and Peng Chau respectively.
"One of the major amendments in the proposed guidelines is to take in the Kaifong Representative elections for the market towns of Cheung Chau and Peng Chau, which would be brought under the purview of the EAC, to reflect the legislative amendments made to the Rural Representative Election Ordinance, the Electoral Affairs Commission Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation passed in March this year," Mr Justice Fung said.
The Village Representative Election Ordinance is renamed as the Rural Representative Election Ordinance. A new term, Rural Representative, is introduced to cover both Village Representative and Kaifong Representative.
The proposed guidelines set out the eligibility criteria for an elector in a Kaifong Representative election, the eligibility criteria for nomination of a candidate at the election and the grounds for disqualification of a person being elected as a Kaifong Representative.
The proposed guidelines also set out the arrangements for voter registration, preparation of the register of electors for market towns and related voting procedures.
"The proposed guidelines have also been updated taking into account the legislative amendments introduced in the Electoral Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2014, which are relevant to the Rural Representative Election. The Bill is now under scrutiny by the Legislative Council. Subject to the enactment of the relevant legislative amendments, the proposed changes relevant to the Rural Representative Election will be incorporated in the final guidelines," Mr Justice Fung said.
The proposed guidelines can be downloaded from the Commission's website (www.eac.gov.hk). They are also available at the Registration and Electoral Office and the Public Enquiry Service Centres of District Offices.
Written representations can be sent to the Commission's Secretariat by post to 10/F, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai; by fax to 2511 1682; or by email to eacenq@reo.gov.hk before the deadline. Late submissions will not be considered.
A public forum will be held from 7pm to 8pm on June 18 at Lek Yuen Community Hall, Lek Yuen Estate, Sha Tin. Members of the public are invited to attend to express their views.
For enquiries, please call 2891 1001.
Ends/Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:10
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