TNAG-1287-FCO40-1638-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 268

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Chapter 7 The Governor

56.

At present

the candidate for

for appointment as Governor is selected by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and is appointed by Her Majesty the Queen. The Governor performs four main functions

(a) he is

ultimate

responsible

direction

for the

of

the

(b)

and

Councils;

(c) he

is

President

government in Hong Kong;

he appoints the members of the Executive

Legislative

of

the

(d)

57.

Legislative Council; and

he presides over the Executive Council.

The Governor will continue

continue to be appointed by the Queen and be her representative in Hong Kong until 1997. However, it is considered that, in accordance with the objective of making the Government of Hong Kong as a whole more representative, the process of selecting the candidate for appointment as Governor should be changed, in due course, So that his authority will be derived from the people of Hong Kong and he will be ultimately accountable to them.

It

58.

is therefore proposed that in 1992, after the progressive changes in the composition of the Legislative Council and the Executive Council described in Chapters 5 and 6 of this Green Paper have been completed, arrangements should be introduced for the selection of the candidate for appointment as Governor through an electoral process.

To this end it is proposed that he should be elected by an electoral college composed of all the elected Unofficial members of the Executive and Legislative Councils. candidate so selected, who would have to be a Hong Kong belonger, would then be recommended for appointment as Governor by the Queen.

59.

It is

The

not envisaged that there would be any change in the Governor's responsibility for the direction of government in Hong Kong

60.

However, if the proposed system of

of indirect elections of the Unofficial members of the Legislative Council is adopted the Governor would no longer retain his power to appoint members of that Council. Similarly, if the majority of the Unofficial members of the Executive Council are to be elected by the members of the Legislative

Legislative Council, the Governor's power to appoint members of the Executive Council would be limited to two members.