Chief Executive Donald Tsang has said that after careful consideration, he will not vote in the upcoming Legislative Council by-election, in view of its unique nature.

In a statement issued today, Mr Tsang said all members of his political team share this view and, of their own accord, have also decided not to vote.

He stressed that these are purely personal decisions. Civil servants will not and should not be affected. It is entirely up to them to decide whether or not to vote, and the Government will duly respect their decisions.

Mr Tsang explained that under the existing legislation, when a vacancy in the LegCo arises, the Government is obliged to arrange a by-election and to finance it with public money.

However, the mainstream community view is that this by-election could have been avoided, and many regard it as an abuse of the electoral system and a waste of taxpayers' money, he said.