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FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 0409OOZ FCO
TELNO 0009
OF 02105OZ JANUARY 88
INFO PRIORITY
PEKING
MRB 011/1
TOP C
15 JAN 1988
111714
MDHIAN 2143
MY 7TH IPT: REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT: WHITE PAPER
CHAPTER VII
PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF ELECTIONS
61.
THE GREEN PAPER INVITED COMMENTS ON VARIOUS PRACTICAL ASPECTS
OF ELECTIONS TO THE DISTRICT BOARDS, THE MUNICIPAL COUNCILS AND THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, INCLUDING:
(A) THE SEQUENCE AND TIMING OF ELECTIONS:
(B)
THE TERMS OF OFFICE OF ELECTED MEMBERS:
(C)
THE AGE OF ENTITLEMENT TO VOTE.
(D)
THE AGE OF ELIGIBILITY FOR CANDIDATURE:
(E) THE VOTING SYSTEMS USED IN ELECTIONS: AND
(F) CERTAIN OTHER ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS.
SEQUENCE AND TIMING OF ELECTIONS AND TERMS OF OFFICE
6?..
THE GREEN PAPER RAISED THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THE SEQUENCE OF
ELECTIONS SHOULD BE ALTERED SO THAT ELECTIONS TO THE DISTRICT
BOARDS WERE FOLLOWED BY ELECTIONS TO THE MUNICIPAL COUNCILS AND THEN BY ELECTIONS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. SUBMISSIONS TO THE SURVEY OFFICE WERE EVENLY DIVIDED ON THIS. MOST DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS WGO SPOKE ON THE ISSUE DID, HOWEVER, ADVOCATE SUCH A CHANGE,
AND SOME PUBLIC OPINION SURVEYS RECORDED SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT FOR
IT.
63. THE GREEN PAPER ALSO FLOATED THE POSSIBILITY OF STAGGERING THE TERMS OF OFFICE OF DIFFERENT GROUPS OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS SO THAT, WHILE ALL TERMS WOULD BE OF EQUAL LENGTH, THEY WOULD BEGIN
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