(Right to left ) Newly elected lawmakers William Wong Lam-fai, Chan Wing-Kwong, Adrian Pedro Ho King-hong and Shang Hailong celebrate after winning the 2022 Legislative Council Election Committee constituency by-election at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on Dec 18, 2022.  (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

Four people were elected as the new lawmakers representing the Election Committee constituency of the seventh Legislative Council in Hong Kong, after winning the by- election on Sunday.

They are Chan Wing-kwong, chairperson of Hong Kong Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioners Association; William Wong Kam-fei, director of the Centre for Innovation and Technology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Adrian Ho King-hong, a member of the New People's Party, and Shang Hailong, general manager of artificial intelligence firm SenseTime Hong Kong.

Congratulating the elected members, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the by-election is the first one since the electoral system of the HKSAR was improved to implement the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle, providing patriots aspiring to participate in policy debates with a fair, just and open election

A total of 1,307 Election Committee members cast their ballots from 9 am to 11:30 am at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, to elect four new lawmakers among six candidates. The voter turnout rate reached 90.70 percent.

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Chan secured the most votes, receiving 1,028 out of the 1,307 ballots cast. He noted that the previous LegCos had no legislator coming from the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) sector. He hopes he can serve the sector's benefits in the legislature and further promote the city's TCM development with his expertise.

Wong, who ranked second with 983 votes, said the election was competitive and he got up at 3 am today to prepare for the final sprint of the election campaign.

He said his priority is to propel Hong Kong to become an international innovation hub and he hopes his expertise in transforming scientific research results into applications can contribute to the lofty goal.

Ho, who got 833 votes, said hopes to bring more rational discussions with international scopes into the legislature, and contribute to the greater developments of the city and the nation.

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Shang, who received 812 votes, described himself as a newcomer to politics and said every vote he received was precious.

Shang said he is ready to take on the responsibility and face up to the pressure that will come with his new role as legislator. He added that he is aspiring to boost the city's inno-tech development and make more contributions to Hong Kong's journey from stable to thriving.

Congratulating the elected members, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the by-election is the first one since the electoral system of the HKSAR was improved to implement the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle, providing patriots aspiring to participate in policy debates with a fair, just and open election.

Justice David Lok Kai-hong (second, right), Electoral Affairs Commission chairman and Professor Daniel Shek (left), empty a ballot box in the counting zone of the central counting station after 2022 Legislative Council Election Committee constituency by-election at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on Dec 18, 2022.  (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

He hopes they will assume their duties with due diligence, develop an environment conducive for constructive policy debates and join hands with the government in solving different problems together.

The four lawmakers-elect will swear into the office on Monday, which will be administered by the chief executive. They will take oaths to uphold the Basic Law of the HKSAR and swear allegiance to the HKSAR.

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The four LegCo seats had been vacant since former lawmakers Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, Alice Mak Mei-kuen, Sun Dong and Nelson Lam Chi-yuen - joined the chief executive’s administration in July.