Nomination period for Rural By-elections gazetted

The Government gazetted the nomination period for some Rural By-elections today (18 April). Nominations will be open from 30 April to 14 May. These are for seats not filled in the previous elections in January.

Nominations are called for one Resident Representative for each of the Existing Villages and one Indigenous Inhabitant Representative for each of the Indigenous Villages.

The Existing Villages in Sai Kung are:

Sai Kung Rural Committee: Hoi Pong Street, Lung Mei, Ma Nam Wat, Pak Tam Chung, Ping Tun, Tai Street (West), Tung A

Sai Kung North Rural Committee: Ha Yeung, Ping Chau Sha Tau, Uk Tau

while the Indigenous Villages are:

Sai Kung Rural Committee: Long Ke, Wong Keng Tsai

Sai Kung North Rural Committee: Pak Tam Au

To be eligible for a Resident Representative By-election, a candidate must be a resident of the Existing Village and must have been a resident of the Village for the six years immediately preceding the nomination. His or her principal residential address must be in the Village and “principal residential address” means the address of the dwelling place at which the candidate resides and which constitutes his or her sole or main home. The candidate must also be a registered elector of the Village.

For an Indigenous Inhabitant Representative By-election, a candidate must be an indigenous inhabitant as well as a registered elector of the Indigenous Village and ordinarily reside in Hong Kong.

All candidates of both categories must be Hong Kong permanent residents aged 21 or above and each candidate must be nominated by at least five registered electors from the Village concerned. Each elector may nominate only one candidate. No one can stand as a candidate in more than one village.

Nomination forms are available at the Home Affairs Department (HAD), the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres in the New Territories and the Rural Representative Election website (www.had.gov.hk/rre).

Nomination forms must be submitted in person to the Returning Officer concerned between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm from Mondays to Fridays, and from 9:00 am to noon on Saturdays, except general holidays.

A spokesman for the HAD said that if there is more than one validly nominated candidate for the same Indigenous Village or Existing Village, a poll would be held for that Village on 16 June (Sunday). Eligible electors will receive a polling notice which specifies the date, time and place of the poll.

For enquiries, please call 2152 1521 or visit the Rural Representative Election website.

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