Thirty-six candidates were elected as deputies of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, on Thursday.
The deputies were elected by a secret ballot at the second plenary session of the Conference for Electing Deputies of the HKSAR to the 14th NPC, which was attended by 1,273 members.
According to the election method, the electoral conference also determined the order of replacement for five other candidates, who will fill the vacancies should any elected deputies leave a post vacant.
The second plenary session of the Conference for Electing Deputies of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to the 14th National People's Congress is held in south China's Hong Kong, December 15, 2022. /Xinhua
HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee, also standing chairman of the presidium of the electoral conference, presided over the plenary session.
Yang Zhenwu, secretary general of the NPC Standing Committee, who attended the meeting, congratulated the elected deputies and hailed the election as an open, fair and just process.
He voiced confidence that the newly elected deputies will carry forward the tradition of being patriotic, set a good example for adhering to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, fully implement the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, and swear allegiance to the People's Republic of China and the HKSAR to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests and make new and greater contributions to national rejuvenation, as well as Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability.
According to the method for the HKSAR to elect deputies to the 14th NPC, the election results will be submitted to the NPC Standing Committee for qualification review.
(With input from Xinhua)