Hong Kong Electoral Affairs Commission Chairman Justice Woo Kwok-hing reiterated at a Wednesday press conference that Sunday's Legislative Council (LegCo) polls were conducted in an open, fair and honest manner.

Woo apologized for the inconvenience caused by insufficient and poorly designed ballot boxes, emphasizing that he did not blame election workers for the problem. He stated that ballot boxes opened during the polling hours were handled in accordance with the law.

The boxes were reportedly opened when they became too full to accommodate more ballot sheets, with some workers using rulers or other items to compress the sheets and make more room.

Woo admitted the design of ballot boxes and ballot sheets and the logistics for supplying extra ballot boxes to polling stations may not have been ideal. About 2,000 extra ballot boxes were used on Sunday.

The commission will conduct trial runs with redesigned ballot boxes before they are formally put to use in future elections.

He said more than 15,000 public servants with a neutral political stance conducted the ballot counting so that there would be no instances of bias for or against any candidate.

Woo stated that the commission will nevertheless conduct a comprehensive review of the election and submit it to the chief executive within three months. The findings will help improve future arrangements.

Voting for the third Legislative Council was conducted last Sunday. More than 1.8 million Hong Kong residents cast their votes, for a record turnout rate of 55.6 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn September 16, 2004)