The Electoral Affairs Commission will revert to its original voting hours - 7.30am to 10.30pm - amid opposition to Monday's proposal to shorten the polling time by three hours.

Electoral Affairs Commission Chairman Justice Woo Kwok-hing said the decision was not made under political pressure, adding that public views were an important consideration.

He said the original decision to shorten polling hours was based on the fact that a majority of representations received during the April 28 to May 27 public consultation on the new electoral guidelines were in favour of the proposed change.

However, since the publication of the new guidelines four days ago, the commission has received more views on the issue.

Of the 168 representations received, 142 were in favour of retaining the original voting hours, 24 proposed other time spans and two supported the change.

"It is particularly worthwhile to note that some citizens said that because of the outbreak of SARS, they missed the opportunity or were too preoccupied to express their opinions on the issue," he said.

"They urged the commission to listen to their views nevertheless. Meanwhile, some electors said they would not be able to cast their votes within the new polling hours because of a conflict with their working hours."

Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Stephen Lam welcomed the decision.

"Maintaining the current polling hours will ensure that eligible voters can continue to exercise their voting rights conveniently. In overall terms, this will facilitate the smooth conduct of the election," he said.