TS JUT 33
SECRET 高度機密
Speaking Note for HMA Peking
Boundary and Election Commission (BEC) : Assumption of other statutory functions
P6.04
Last
week
(13
intention
to
on
October) we briefed
HKG's you
amend the BEC Ordinance to extend the
deadline for the BEC to submit its recommendations on the boundaries for the Municipal Councils.
AS we said,
we wished to keep the Chinese informed of
We significant developments concerning the BEC's work. have therefore been instructed to tell you that the HKG will bring into operation the remaining parts of the
which Ordinance,
are mainly related
BEC
organisation of elections by the BEC.
to
the
When the BEC was established on 23.7.93, only those parts of the BEC Ordinance relating to the demarcation of constituency boundaries were brought into operation. The remaining parts (mainly related to the conduct of elections) were not operative at that time
because :
(a)
pre-occupied
with
the boundary
BEC had been demarcation work upon its establishment;
(b) HKG was engaging in two by-elections before BEC
came into being.
These two by-elections (to fill LegCo FC and one Regional Council
arose
as
a
result
of
the
vacancy in one constituency) disqualification of a member, Mr Gilbert Leung. It was then not practicable to let BEC organize
these
halfway.
Now
these
two
by-elections have been completed with the lapse of
by-elections
the
two-month statutory
petition in mid October.
period
for election
GF 16
SECRET 高度機密
Page 75Page 76