Tung Chee-hwa yesterday appointed the maximum 102 members to the 18 district council seats - including more than 60 from the private sector.
Political analysts and human rights observers were swift to condemn the chief executive's decision, saying he had ignored the voice of the people.
Under the law, Mr Tung is allowed to appoint a maximum of 102 members on top of the 400 election winners in the November polls - in addition to 27 seats reserved for rural representatives.
The appointments system has come under heated attack from some sectors, with calls for it to be abolished or the number of appointees reduced to a maximum of two per district.
Releasing the official list yesterday, Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping rejected concerns that many appointees were simply pro-government supporters.
'These people have been chosen using very strict criteria,' Dr Ho said at the Central Government Offices. 'The aim of the district council appointments system is to provide an additional channel for capable and experienced individuals who are interested in district affairs to serve the community.'
