Village election

OFFICIALS have not decided whether legislation will be needed for elections in 690 indigenous villages.

The Government is working with the Heung Yee Kuk on a set of guidelines for electing representatives in the villages.

But legislators said yesterday that a separate set of laws should be enacted to eliminate malpractices and discrimination against women in the rural community. A simple set of guidelines was not enough to guarantee fair elections.

They suggested, as a first step, that the Government should extend the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Ordinance to include village elections.

They said the second step would be the drafting of a detailed set of arrangements for the election of representatives in the villages.