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CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
Each district area is sub-divided into a number of district board constituencies. The number of constituencies in each district area varies, reflecting the district's geographical spread, population size and local characteristics. There are 76 district board constituencies in the urban areas and 46 in the New Territories. All constituencies are single-member constituen- cies except for 10 double-member district board constituencies in the New Territories.
The rules for candidature are very simple: any elector who has been resident in Hong Kong for more than 10 years can be nominated as a candidate for election to the Urban Council or a district board in any constituency if his nomination is supported by 10 electors in that constituency. The candidate who polls the largest number of votes is elected.
The elections to the district boards took place in 1982, and to the Urban Council in 1983. The next district board elections will be held throughout the territory on the same day in March 1985, and the next Urban Council elections in March 1986.
At the district board elections held in the New Territories in March 1982, 174 candidates were nominated: two were unopposed and 172 contested 54 seats. Some 100 000 electors voted, representing a turn-out rate of over 50 per cent. At the district board elections held in the urban areas in September 1982, two candidates were unopposed and 227 candidates contested 74 seats. Some 250 000 electors voted, representing a turn-out rate of over 35 per cent. Elections to the Urban Council were held in March 1983. Of the 41 candidates, three were unopposed and 38 contested 12 seats. Some 128 000 electors voted, representing a turn-out rate of over 22 per cent. In 1983, by-elections were also held in three district board constituencies in the urban areas. One was uncontested while the other two, held in May and August, were contested.
The Executive
Role of the Chief Secretary
The Chief Secretary is the principal adviser to the Governor on matters of policy. He is the chief executive of the Hong Kong Government. Together with the Financial Secretary and the Attorney General, he is one of the three officers of the Executive with the right of direct access to the Governor.
The Chief Secretary has a very small personal staff. He exercises direction primarily as head of the Government Secretariat, the central organisation comprising the secretaries of the policy branches and their staff. Since 1902, when the office of Lieutenant-Governor lapsed, the Chief Secretary (or his predecessor, the Colonial Secretary) has deputised for the Governor during his absence. He is the leading official member of the Legislative Council and the Chairman of the Finance Committee.
Role of the Financial Secretary
The Financial Secretary is responsible for the fiscal and economic policies of the Hong Kong Government, and is an ex-officio member of both the Executive and Legislative Councils. He is, in addition, a member of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council, and Chairman of the Public Works Sub-committee of the Finance Committee. As the government officer with primary responsibility for Hong Kong's fiscal and economic policies, the Financial Secretary oversees the operations of the Finance, Monetary Affairs, Trade and Industry, and Economic Services Branches of the government.
The Financial Secretary is responsible under the Public Finance Ordinance for laying before the legislature each year the government's Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure. In his capacity as an official member of the Legislative Council, he makes a speech each year outlining the government's budgetary proposals and moving the adoption of the