Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang won reelection yesterday to a five-year term, capturing nearly 85 per cent of the ballots.

Tsang won 649 of the 772 valid votes cast by members of the city's Election Committee. Alan Leong, Tsang's only challenger, polled 123.

"The process of the voting and ballot counting was smooth, and all arrangements were in line with election laws and regulations," said Electoral Affairs Commission Chairman Justice Pang Kin-kee. "The election was fair, open and honest."

Under Hong Kong's Basic Law, the chief executive is elected by the Election Committee and then appointed by the central government.

Tsang's term of office will start on July 1 and end on June 30, 2012.

The announcement of his victory was met by applause from those present at the Hong Kong polling center. With tears in his eyes, Tsang bowed to the audience, received a bouquet of flowers from his supporters and embraced his wife.

Tsang told a news conference after the announcement that in his next term the Hong Kong government will be "broadly representative" and "balance the interests of various sectors of society." He pledged to work to narrow the gap between rich and poor.

"We shall do our utmost to push economic development and establish Hong Kong as the No. 1 international financial center in the region," he said.

Tsang said the election was a major step in Hong Kong's constitutional development within the framework of the Basic Law and a success of the "one country, two systems" principle.

Voting began at 9am yesterday at AsiaWorld-Expo on Lantou Island.

"The result of the election meets people's exceptions, indicating that Tsang's good governance of Hong Kong over the past 18 months has been endorsed by most Election Committee members," said Tsang Hin-chi, who serves on the Election Committee and the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress.

Said Ma Lik, also a member of the Election Committee and chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, "The election result reflects the mainstream will of the people; that is, Hong Kong must develop in a stable manner."

Tsang began his reelection bid on February 1 with the slogan, "I'll get the job done."

During the campaign, he promised to fully leverage the advantages of "one country, two systems" to advance economic development, promote the democratic process, consolidate Hong Kong's status as an international metropolis and establish Hong Kong as the country's international financial center.

"I will lead the government, a government that will become a force for political progress in Hong Kong, a government that will bring Hong Kong into a new era and establish Hong Kong as a dynamic, multicultural and vibrant metropolis," he said.

Born in 1944, Tsang joined the Civil Service in January 1967 and has held many positions. He was elected chief executive on June 16, 2005, when predecessor Tung Chee-hwa resigned because of health reasons.