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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1981
+HONG KONG BELONGERS+ AND PEOPLE WHO ARE REGISTERED VOTERS FOR THIS YEAR'S URBAN COUNCIL ELECTIONS - EVEN IF THEY DO NOT MEET THE SEVEN-YEAR REQUIREMENT - WILL ALSO BE ENTITLED TO REGISTER.
MOREOVER, FOREIGN NATIONALS WILL BE ENTITLED TO REGISTER
PROVIDED THEY FULFIL THE OTHER REQUIREMENTS.
THE GREEN PAPER PROPOSED THAT THE AGE OF ELIGIBILITY FOR VOTING SHOULD BE 21 YEARS. THERE WERE SUGGESTIONS THAT IT SHOULD EITHER BE LOWERED TO 18 YEARS OR RAISED ABOVE 21, BUT THE MAJORITY OF COMMENTS SUPPORTED 21 YEARS. THE GOVERNMENT WILL INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO PROVIDE FOR 21 YEARS AS THE MINIMUM AGE OF ELIGIBILITY TO REGISTER TO VOTE.
FOR CANDIDATES THERE WILL BE THE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT THAT THEY SHALL HAVE BEEN ORDINARILY RESIDENT IN HONG KONG FOR 10 YEARS OR MORE. CANDIDATES ARE NOT TO BE REQUIRED TO RESIDE IN THE CONSTITUENCY FOR WHICH THEY STAND, CANDIDATES MAY ONLY STAND FOR ONE CONSTITUENCY IN ANY ONE ELECTION.
THE WHITE PAPER ALSO CONTAINS CERTAIN PROPOSALS CONCERNING QUALIFICATIONS AND DISQUALIFICATIONS OF CANDIDATES, WHICH WERE NOT DETAILED IN THE GREEN PAPER.
THE WHITE PAPER SETS OUT IN SOME DETAIL THE REGISTRATION AND ELECTORAL PROCEDURES. THE PRINCIPLE OF ELECTIONS ON THE CONSTITUENCY BASIS, AS SET OUT IN THE GREEN PAPER, IS MAINTAINED.
ONE DIFFERENCE IS THAT WHEREAS THE GREEN PAPER SUGGESTED THAT THE 15 ELECTED URBAN COUNCILLORS SHOULD BE ELECTED FROM CONSTITUENCIES IN EIGHT DISTRICTS IN THE URBAN AREA, THE GOVERNMENT HAS ACCEPTED THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST DECREASING THE EXISTING FIGURE OF 10 DISTRICTS IN THE URBAN AREA.
THE WHITE PAPER, THEREFORE, PROPOSES THAT ONE URBAN COUNCILLOR SHOULD BE ELECTED FOR EACH OF TWO CONSTITUENCIES IN THE FIVE LARGEST DISTRICTS, WHILE THERE SHOULD BE ONLY ONE CONSTITUENCY IN THE FIVE SMALLER DISTRICTS, THE PROPOSED BALANCE OF MEMBERSHIP OF THE URBAN COUNCIL AT 15 ELECTED AND 15 APPOINTED MEMBERS REMAINS UNCHANGED FROM THAT IN THE GREEN PAPER.
FOR ELECTIONS TO DISTRICT BOARDS, THE GOVERNMENT INTENDS THAT EACH DISTRICT WILL BE DIVIDED INTO A NUMBER OF CONSTITUENCIES, THE VAST MAJORITY OF WHICH WILL RETURN ONE ELECTED MEMBER TO THE DISTRICT BOARD.
THE NUMBER OF CONSTITUENCIES IN A DISTRICT AND THEIR SIZE WILL VARY ACCORDING TO THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DISTRICT CONCERNED, BUT IN THE URBAN AREA THE CONSTITUENCIES WILL BE BASED GENERALLY ON THE EXISTING AREA COMMITTEE BOUNDARIES. THERE ARE LIKELY TO BE ABOUT 80 SUCH CONSTITUENCIES.
THE NUMBER OF CONSTITUENCIES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AT PRESENT IDENTIFIED IS ABOUT 50, FOR SOME OF WHICH TWO MEMBERS MAY BE ELECTED, RETURNING ALTOGETHER SOME 60 ELECTED MEMBERS TO THE DISTRICT BOARDS.
/THE REGISTRATION