***********************************************************
The nomination period of candidates for Village Representative By-elections was gazetted today (April 7).
Seven Village Representative vacancies will be open to nominations for by-election candidates from next Thursday (April 13) until April 26.
The by-elections will cover three Indigenous Inhabitant Representative and four Resident Representative posts for seven villages.
To run in the Indigenous Inhabitant Representative by-elections, a candidate must be an indigenous inhabitant as well as an elector of the Indigenous Village and ordinarily reside in Hong Kong.
As for the Resident Representative by-elections, a candidate must be a resident of the Existing Village and have resided there for six years immediately preceding the nomination. He or she must also be an elector of the Village.
All candidates of both categories must be permanent Hong Kong residents aged 21 or above. Nobody is allowed to stand as a candidate in more than one village. Each candidate must be nominated by at least five electors from that village. Each elector may nominate only one candidate for his or her village.
Nomination forms will be available at the Public Enquiry Services Centres of all District Offices, the Home Affairs Department and the Village Representative Elections' website (www.had.gov.hk/vre).
Nomination forms must be submitted in person to the Returning Officer, that is, the District Officer of the respective Village, by 5pm on April 26 (Hong Kong time).
A spokesman of the Home Affairs Department said that if there was more than one validly nominated candidate for the same village, a poll would be held for that village on Saturday, May 21, 2006. Eligible voters will receive a polling notice which specifies the date, time and place of the poll.
For enquiries, please call 2152 1521.
Ends/Friday, April 7, 2006
Issued at HKT 11:30
NNNN