Candidates in the by-election were caught by surprise yesterday when counting finished two hours earlier than expected.
None of the six contenders was present when results were announced at 4.30am after a 5.5-hour count at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The winner, non-affiliated barrister Audrey Eu Yuet-mee, arrived at the centre 10 minutes later and was mobbed by the media when she was ushered to the stage to claim victory. Her main rival, Chris Chung Shu-kun of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, arrived later to congratulate her.
Electoral Affairs Commission chairman Justice Woo Kwok-hing said counting had been quicker than expected because candidates had greater confidence in the counting process. 'They were less vigilant, therefore we could concentrate on counting and speed up the process,' he said.
Another reason was that there were just six candidates, and counting staff had become more experienced following the Legco polls in September.
The number of invalidated ballot papers in the by-election fell from 2,814 in September to 685.
