XN000022-1990-03-21 — Page 35

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1990

NT EAST, COMPRISING SHA TIN AND SAI KUNG;

NT WEST, COMPRISING YUEN LONG AND TUEN MUN; AND

* NT SOUTH, COMPRISING TSUEN WAN, KWAI TSING AND ISLANDS.

TURNING TO THE VOTING SYSTEM, MR SUEN SAID THERE WOULD BE A "FIRST PAST THE POST" SYSTEM FOR DIRECT ELECTIONS WITH BACH ELECTOR GETTING TWO VOTES ONE FOR EACH OF THE SEATS IN THE CONSTITUENCY.

**

"THIS SYSTEM HAD BEEN USED IN ELECTIONS FOR THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND MUNICIPAL COUNCILS, AND IS WELL UNDERSTOOD BY THE PUBLIC, HE SAID.

THE PREFERENTIAL ELIMINATION SUCCESSFULLY IN THE 1988 ELECTIONS,

"FOR FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, VOTING SYSTEM, WHICH WAS USED WILL BE RETAINED.

"REGISTERED VOTERS WILL BE ABLE TO VOTE IN A GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCY FOR THE DIRECT ELECTIONS, AS WELL AS IN A FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY WHERE THEY ARE QUALIFIED TO DO SO," HE ADDED.

AS FOR VOTING ELIGIBILITY, MR SUEN SAID THE MINIMUN VOTING AGE OF 21 YEARS WOULD BE RETAINED FOR THE 1991 ELECTIONS.

"WE WILL CONSIDER LOWERING IT TO 18 YEARS PRIOR ΤΟ THE 1995 ELECTIONS," HE SAID.

MR SUEN ADDED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO CHANGE TO THE COMPOSITION OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND MUNICIPAL COUNCILS IN 1991, AND THAT ABOUT ONE THIRD OF THEIR MEMBERS WOULD CONTINUE TO BE APPOINTED.

"THE SITUATION WILL BE REVIEWED AGAIN BEFORE THE

ELECTIONS.

ON ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE DISTRICT BOARDS, HE SAID BOUNDARIES HAD BEEN REVIEWED AS IN PREVIOUS ELECTIONS.

1995

CONSTITUENCY

"THE REVIEW TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION A NUMBER OF FACTORS RELATED TO INDIVIDUAL DISTRICTS, SUCH AS POPULATION SIZE AND MOVEMENT, GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT, SENSE OF BELONG ING AMONG RESIDENTS, MIX OF HOUSING TYPES AND THE PROVISION OF COMMUNITY FACILITIES," HE SAID.

"MAPS SHOWING THE CHANGES TO DISTRICT BOARDS' BOUNDARIES AND CONSTITUENCIES WITHIN A DISTRICT WILL BE DISPLAYED AT DISTRICT OFFICES FROM MARCH 22 FOR SIX WEEKS FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION AND COMMENTS."

MR SUEN SAID THE REVIEW ALSO COVERED THE PROVISION OF ELECTED SEATS FOR BACH CONSTITUENCY OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS.

"AS FAR AS PRACTICABLE, SINGLE-SEAT CONSTITUENCIES WILL BE

PROVIDED.

/"SINCE THE