Links with constituencies
SECRET
7.
A requirement
only
that а candidate should be а
registered voter and have a specified number of nominators would leave any candidate who believed he had a wide
following free to choose in which constituency he would stand. A requirement that the candidate should be resident
in a constituency, and/or show through the nomination
has substantial support
in that
link him more closely with the
process
that
he
would
constituency,
constituency.
8.
Large amounts of candidates can be confusing to the
electorate, and lead to candidates
support winning elections
fragmented among too large a group of candidates.
because
with only minority
the total vote is
Nomination of candidates
9.
In many electoral systems there is in practice a pre-
selection of candidates through party machinery which
effectively limits the number of serious candidates to
three or four. Hong Kong does not have a party system
which could be used for this purpose, nor is there any intention that such a system should be encouraged. Other methods of limiting the number of candidates and/or
ensuring that they have close connections with their
constituencies have been suggested eg by giving a role to
District Boards or other bodies.
Possible methods
10. A variety of possible methods of conducting direct elections in Hong Kong have been put forward. They
include:
(a) A simple system based on the existing system used at District Board and Urban/Regional Council level under which the only limitations placed on