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Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam speaks during a press conference in Hong Kong on Tuesday.(PTI/AP)[/caption]
Hong Kong, Nov. 26 (IANS): Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Tuesday said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government will stick to the "one country, two systems" principle and safeguard Hong Kong residents' human rights and freedom protected under the Basic Law.
The HKSAR government will follow three principles in dealing with the social unrest or in future administration, one of which is adherence to the "one country, two systems" principle and protection of human rights and freedom guaranteed in the Basic Law, Xinhua quoted Lam as saying to reporters.
The other two principles are maintaining the rule of law and keeping Hong Kong's institutional strengths, she said, adding that Hong Kong has in place a good set of electoral laws to ensure elections are conducted in a fair and honest manner and that fair elections are one of the important institutional strengths.
Regarding the district council elections that were held in Hong Kong on Saturday, Lam expressed her gratitude to Hong Kong residents for coming out to cast their votes. She noted the voter turnout surpassed 71 per cent.
Meanwhile, Lam thanked all candidates for participating in the elections in face of challenges, in particular those candidates who were physically threatened or whose offices and publicity materials were damaged during the campaign.
She expected the newly elected district council members to take on important responsibilities in the upcoming four-year term.
"Hong Kong residents have experienced a relatively peaceful, safe and orderly environment over the past few days and days right ahead of the polling day," Lam said.
She voiced her expectation that such kind of peace, calm and security were not just for the district council elections, and Hong Kong people have spoken out their hope that chaos can come to an end and Hong Kong can return to a peaceful and safe place as usual.
The HKSAR government will work in concerted efforts to tackle economic difficulties and issues concerning people's livelihood, Lam added.