CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
two vice-chairmen on the Council. Since the 1991-92 Legislative Council session, the two municipal councils and the Heung Yee Kuk have been functional constituencies, each returning one member to the Legislative Council.
The Electoral System
Voter Registration
Elections to the Legislative Council geographical constituencies, municipal councils and district boards are through a broad franchise. Practically everyone who is 18 years of age or over, and who is a Hong Kong permanent resident or has ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for the preceding seven years, is eligible to apply for registration as an elector in the constituency in which he lives. An applicant should be ordinarily resident in Hong Kong at the time of application. A registration exercise is conducted each year, although applications for registration can be made at any time of the year.
Registration of electors for the September Legislative Council elections began in early 1995. Some 236 000 new electors were registered for the geographical constituencies, bringing the total number of registered geographical electors to 2 570 000, representing a 65 per cent registration rate. The number of registered electors in the functional constituencies rose from about 71 000 in 1994 to 1 147 100 in 1995.
Electoral System for the Legislative Council
The Legislative Council elected in September 1995 has 60 seats: 20 returned by geographical constituency elections, 30 by functional constituency elections, and 10 by an Election Committee. Hong Kong is divided into 20, single-seat geographical constituencies four on Hong Kong Island, seven in Kowloon, and nine in the New Territories. The franchise for the Legislative Council geographical elections includes all electors on the General Electoral Roll. Electors may vote only in the constituency in which they are registered. They may, however, stand for election in any con- stituency, provided that they have been ordinarily resident in Hong Kong for the preceding three years, have attained the age of 21, and are nominated by 50 electors in that constituency. The elections are by simple majority.
Each functional constituency represents an economic, occupational or professional group. These are: (1) primary production, power and construction; (2) textiles and garments; (3) manufacturing; (4) import and export; (5) wholesale and retail; (6) hotels and catering; (7) transport and communication; (8) financing, insurance, real estate and business services; (9) community, social and personal services; (10) commercial (first); (11); commercial (second); (12) industrial (first); (13) industrial (second); (14) finance; (15) labour; (16) social welfare; (17) tourism; (18) real estate and construction; (19) financial services; (20) medical; (21) education; (22) legal; (23) engineering; (24) health services; (25) accountancy; (26) architectural, surveying and planning; (27) Urban Council; (28) Regional Council; and (29) rural. Of these, the labour functional constituency returns two Legislative Council members while the other 28 return one member each. The electorate is made up of relevant persons from designated organisations and trade unions, and working persons. A person who wants to be a functional elector has to be a geographical elector as well.
HONG KONG PUBLIC LIBRARIES
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