800-member panel to choose next leader in HK_时事politics

a man watches introduction of candidates of a committee that will choose the hong kong's next leader in hong kong, sunday, dec. 10, 2006.  dec. 11 - an elite slice of the hong kong electorate voted sunday to pick members of a committee that will choose the city's next leader.

 

nearly half, or 373, of the 800 seats have already been determined because those races are uncontested or the electors are appointed.

 

however, competition is still keen for the remaining seats, with 803 candidates contesting 427 spots in 23 subsectors. the contested seats have been allocated to professional or civic organizations representing groups such as accountants, educators, lawyers and laborers.

 

pang kin-kee, the elections chief, said sunday that he expected turnout to be higher than in the previous committee election, in 2000.

 

"i believe the election will be fiercer this time," pang said after visiting one of the voting stations. "the weather is also good today. i think the turnout rate will be higher than the 19 percent of last time."

 

in the first five hours of voting, 14,390, or 7 percent, of the 204,000 registered voters have cast their votes in 110 voting stations. results were expected early monday.

 

anson chan, a former no.2 official, also called on voters to exercise their votes.

 

"today's selection of members who will represent the various subsectors of the election committee is the first milestone down the road to election of the next chief executive. it is therefore a very important day for hong kong," chan said in a statement. chan announced in september that she would not run for leader.

 

since 1997, the city has been governed under a "one country, two systems" formula, designed to give it a large amount of autonomy.