HONG KONG, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Incumbent Donald Tsang's overwhelming victory in the election of the third-term chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday meets the public expectations and represents the mainstream will of the people, analysts said here.

"The result of the election meets people's expectations, indicating Tsang's good governance of Hong Kong over the past 18 months had been endorsed by most of the Election Committee members," said Tsang Hin-chi, a member of the Election Committee and also a member of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress.

He said that under the leadership of Tsang, Hong Kong will maintain the momentum in economic and social development in the next five years.

Ma Lik, also a member of the Election Committee and chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment (DAB) of Hong Kong, said the election result reflects the mainstream will of the people, that is, Hong Kong must develop forward in a stable manner.

He said that Tsang is able to lead Hong Kong into a new era by consolidating its status as an international financial center. The DAB will, as always, support the HKSAR government to rule in accordance with laws.

Leung Chun-ying, convenor of HKSAR Executive Council, said Tsang is a hardworking, progressive and practical-minded man with a lot of ideas and experience. He has done a pretty good job in the past, keeping the economy going upward, therefore winning the support from citizens.

Liberal Party Chairman James Tien said Hong Kong's economic environment has been much improved and the jobless rate also hit a nine-year record low. He hoped the government would continue to concern about the life of grass roots.

Hong Kong political commentator Johnny Lau said Tsang has not only won the election but also the support of citizens. He believed Tsang will do a better job to upgrade people's living standard in the future.

Assistant professor of Chinese University of Hong Kong Wang Jiaying said the whole process of the election is "wonderful". Similar to public poll results ahead of the voting, Tsang enjoyed about 70 to 80 percent of support. His performance in work and policy outline has proven that he is strong in governance. The high supporting rate will help him proceed with policies in the future.

Hong Kong citizens are also highly concerned about the election.

"Tsang's victory is within my expectation, and I think he is the right person to be the chief executive as he is very practical," said Gloria Luk, a 27-year-old businesswoman, after the election results were announced.

She said that Tsang's past experience of helping Hong Kong out of difficulties gave people confidence.

"What is important, Tsang is trusted by the central government and this is conducive to Hong Kong's stability, prosperity and unity," she said.

Tsang beat Alan Leon, his only contender, 649 to 123 in the chief executive election on Sunday. According to the Basic Law, the HKSAR chief executive is elected by the broadly representative Election Committee and then appointed by the Central People's Government.

After the appointment of the Central People's Government, the elected will become the third-term chief executive of the HKSAR, with his term of office starting on July 1, 2007 and ending on June 30, 2012.

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