Results unveiled for HKSAR's 7th District Council Ordinary Election

HONG KONG, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Results of the Seventh District Council Ordinary Election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) were unveiled Monday, with 176 district committees constituency councillors and 88 geographical constituency councillors elected.

Over 1.19 million geographical constituency electors participated in the election, the voting and vote-counting processes operated smoothly in general, and all election arrangements were able to fully reflect the principles of transparency, honesty and fairness, said David Lok, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission when meeting the press on Monday morning.

The new term District Councils (DCs) will be composed of appointed, district committees constituency, district council geographical constituency and ex-officio members. The total number of district councillors will be 470.

The District Councils (Amendment) Bill 2023 was gazetted and came into effect on July 10. Reform of the HKSAR's DC system aims to implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" at the district governance level. It seeks to strictly adhere to the provisions of the Basic Law of the HKSAR and effectively utilize the advisory and service functions of the DCs.

HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee cast his vote on Sunday morning. Lee said under the reformed electoral system, all elected DC members will be patriots who safeguard security and interests of the districts, the HKSAR and the country as a whole, allowing residents to live and work in contentment and ensuring Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.

The new term DCs have welcomed patriotic individuals with diverse backgrounds. Their proposed policies not only address the specific needs of their constituencies but also take into account the overall and long-term development requirements of Hong Kong.

Lau Siu-kai, a consultant for the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, a think tank, said the new term DCs are broadly representative of the Hong Kong community and fully reflect public opinion, representing the optimization and enhancement of democracy in Hong Kong.

The newly-elected DC members will begin their four-year term on Jan. 1, 2024.