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accepted case for adopting a prudent and gradual approach, having due regard to the maintenance of stability within the community. In addition, the Government has taken account of the need to assure that the evolution of the system of representative government is
In particular conducive to a smooth transfer of government in 1997.
it has considered the issue in the light of the likely provisions of the Basic Law for the election of the future Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Legislature. In this connection, it has noted that the latest draft of the Basic Law, which is expected to be promulgated in 1990, envisages the election of members of the Legislature by a combination of methods, including an element of
direct election.
Having carefully considered all these factors, the Government has concluded that direct elections to the Legislative Council should be
introduced in 1991.
On the question of how a directly elected element should be introduced to the Legislative Council, the Government has considered the implications of having directly elected members in addition to indirectly elected members, both representing geographical constituencies. There would be a significant change in the overall balance of the Council. There would also be an overall increase in the size of the Legislative Council unless the number of other
Most categories of members are correspondingly reduced. importantly, to introduce directly elected members in addition to members elected by the electoral college would mean having two parallel systems of geographical representation (directly and through district boards) which could lead to invidious comparisons between the representative status of directly and indirectly elected geographical members.
In the light of these considerations, the Government has concluded that the directly elected members to be introduced in 1991 should be elected through geographically-based, single-seat constituencies and should replace the indirectly elected members currently elected through the electoral college. On this basis, the Government has
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